Couac, also called in Guianese Creole and in Portuguese, is

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

made from

cassava root ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although a perennia ...

, peeled, soaked in water, grated and drained to remove the poisonous

cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...

it contains. Cassava roots are sold in markets as the () for sweet varieties, and processed under the names; or for bitter varieties. Couac is widely eaten by the inhabitants of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and the Guianas (

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

and

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

History

Archaeological research has shown that the

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

(yucca) was originally cultivated years ago the

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. This culture, specifically the Americas, preceded the

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

in many areas. But pre-Columbian food quickly organized around the corn and cassava. Its root was the food of the Indians of the pre-colonial era. The Spaniards despised that foodstuff reserved for the African slaves, who made it their staple food.Jean-Luc Crucifix, ''Le casabe, patrimoine culinaire précolombien'', 20 janvier 2013
/ref> Cassava is the

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

in many countries of Latin America. Culture extends north of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

until

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, via the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. In

, archaeological evidence of Native Americans by cassava are observable in the region of Iracoubo in the form of raised fields (earth mounds spaced evenly forming pits on aerial images) in areas currently occupied by savanna or forest. Cassava carries various names: yucca, mandioca, mañoco, tapioca, etc. Its edible part is its roots, but its leaves can also be eaten.

Description

Couac is a more or less dry coarse semolina that ranges in color from bright yellow to gray to white. It is traditionally made from bitter cassava varieties.Le couac sur le site Gastronomie Outremer
/ref> The preparation technique has not changed over the centuries. Tubers are first peeled and then pulped using the grating board: a wooden plank with embedded small quartz crystals or a sheet of metal with sharp dents. (Now, where possible a grinder is used). The resulting slurry is then put into a

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

( couleuvre), an elongated tubular basketry, carved often provided with a loop at each end. The snake is then stretched to press the dough and squeeze the toxic juice (

). The latter is recovered and then detoxified in turn by long cooking, and can be eaten as a soup. The flour is generally concentrated in the bottom of the snake. Sometimes it is allowed to rest a few days so it ferments and takes on a stronger taste. The pulp is then crumbled and sieved using a braided Manaré to extract wood fibers and chunks. The couac is considered unalterable flour, resistant to insects and moisture.

Composition

Consumption

The resulting shredded cassava is pressed to extract the juice that contains toxic

. If allowed to stand some time, it ferments and takes a stronger taste. The dried pulp is then crumbled and sieved in a '' Manaré '' braided to extract fibers and pieces. Semolina obtained is roasted on a large steel plate (originally earthenware) over a fire. During the cooking, it is stirred constantly to prevent it agglomerating. This cassava flour (''farinha de mandioca'' in Brazil) now takes the name of quack. It can be eaten alone, in salads, grilled fried or in gratin. Detoxified and compressed pulp is sometimes sold in the markets. There are several colors (from white to yellow) and several sizes. Being absorbent, the couac is eaten like bread at every meal. Long and easy conservation, nourishing, naturally dehydrated, it ideally between the people staying in the forest menu. In the 18th century, Rozier and Chaptal explained that the browned and smoked couac was the only food of the travelers who boarded the Amazon river. And with a supply of ten pounds a man had enough to live fifteen days.

References

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Bibliography

François Rozier Jean-Baptiste François Rozier (23 January 1734 in Saint-Nizier parish, Lyon – 28/29 September 1793 in Lyon) was a French botanist and agronomist. Life Rozier was the son of Antoine Rozier (a squire, king's counselor and provincial controll ...

Jean-Antoine Chaptal Jean-Antoine Chaptal, comte de Chanteloup (; 5 June 1756 – 29 July 1832) was a French chemist, physician, agronomist, industrialist, statesman, educator and philanthropist. Chaptal was involved in early industrialization in France under Napole ...