Spanish] cassava; manioc; dark-skinned fleshy starchy root of a tropical plant used in many Hispanic dishes; soft white flesh; cooked and mashed for side dishes, sweetened and fried for desserts or cooked into soups and stews to serve as a thickener; can also be thinly sliced and fried into chips; it is the root from which tapioca is made.

The yuca is a root with a crisp white flesh. There are two main categories of yuca: sweet and bitter. Bitter yucas are toxic until cooked. Yuca is used to make "cassreep" and "tapioca." Also called "cassava."