Manioc

A starchy root plant native to the tropical lowland zone of South America, where it was cultivated along with other root crops. Its origin may have been in Venezuela before 2500 BC and it became established in the Andes and reached the Peruvian coast before 2000 BC. Manioc can grow under various conditions, but only in the lowland forest did manioc retain its position as the main food plant. On archaeological sites, large clay disks are often interpreted as griddles on which were baked flat cakes made of a flour prepared by roasting grated manioc roots and juice-catching pots for the prussic acid they contain. The plant underwent elaborate detoxification process (including grating, pulping, draining and finally cooking) before consumption. It was the staple diet throughout most of Amazonia and the Caribbean at the time of European contact. Manioc is the source of tapioca.

The principal staple of agricultural groups of the forest lowlands of northeastern South America. Probably first cultivated in what is now Venezuela in c2000 be, its use spread west to the coast of Peru and south into the Amazon Basin. It is normally divided into sweet and bitter varieties, and the latter requires an elaborate detoxification process (including grating, pulping, draining and finally cooking) before consumption. Many of the tools used in this process survive in the archaeological record, especially juicecatching pots and griddles.