I find it pretty amazing how someone figured out how to make cassava edible. It’s got enough cyanide to kill you unless it goes through some complex process of mashing and boiling. Who thought to themselves “this killed Greg, but maybe it’ll be delicious if I boil it for a little longer”?
Necessity is the mother of invention. One day somebody was just that hungry, a cassava plant was available, experimentation ensues, bam staple crop. It’s not that huge of a leap though. Most societies have some kind of root or tuber food, and once you’ve got the idea that roots and tubers can be food it’s not a huge stretch to go looking for others. Pretty much all of them have to be cooked at least to be edible and palatable.
I find it pretty amazing how someone figured out how to make cassava edible. It’s got enough cyanide to kill you unless it goes through some complex process of mashing and boiling. Who thought to themselves “this killed Greg, but maybe it’ll be delicious if I boil it for a little longer”?
Necessity is the mother of invention. One day somebody was just that hungry, a cassava plant was available, experimentation ensues, bam staple crop. It’s not that huge of a leap though. Most societies have some kind of root or tuber food, and once you’ve got the idea that roots and tubers can be food it’s not a huge stretch to go looking for others. Pretty much all of them have to be cooked at least to be edible and palatable.