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Cassava: Africa's Staple Food — Flour, Gari and Recipes
Cassava is one of the most widely grown foods in sub-Saharan Africa. Flour, attiéké, gari or tapioca: discover all its forms and recipes.
Cassava feeds more than 800 million people worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, it's one of the most important sources of calories — and it's turned into dozens of different products.
What is cassava?
Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a tropical shrub grown for its tuberous roots. These starch-rich roots can weigh up to 5kg each. Depending on the variety, cassava can be sweet (edible cooked directly) or bitter (requiring processing). In Africa, bitter varieties are the most common — they give higher yields and are processed into flour, attiéké, gari or fufu.
Cassava comes in many forms in African cooking: cassava flour, attiéké (fermented Ivorian semolina), gari (roasted semolina popular in Nigeria and Benin), fufu (soft paste from Central Africa), tapioca (pure starch granules) and many other derivatives.
Origin: from the Amazon to Africa
Cassava originates from the Amazon (present-day Brazil), where it was grown by indigenous peoples for at least 10,000 years. It was introduced to Africa by the Portuguese in the 16th century, first in Angola and Congo. Thanks to its drought resistance, high productivity and ease of storage in the ground, it quickly became a staple food crop throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Today, Nigeria is the world's top cassava producer, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola and Tanzania. Africa accounts for more than 55% of global cassava production.
Benefits and nutritional value
Cassava is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates (high energy), naturally gluten-free and rich in vitamins C and B6, potassium and magnesium. Fermentation (as in attiéké or gari) improves its nutritional value by increasing amino acid content and reducing antinutrients. Its drought resistance and high productivity make it a crucial food-security crop in Africa.
Our cassava recipes
Recipes with cassava
Buy cassava flour and attiéké
Find authentic cassava flour and various cassava-based preparations on Afasin to cook your African dishes.
Cassava-based products
Did you know? Attiéké, gari and cassava flour all come from the same tuber but are processed differently. Attiéké is fermented and steamed, gari is fermented and roasted, and flour is simply dried.
Updated on 28 July 2026