Eaten For The 1st Time

[Nyboy]

Last night I met friends at a Argentinean steakhouse. I have a thing about being late and am always early, I went to the bar to wait. One of my friends was already there, she asked if I wanted to split a order of fried yuca while we waited. Yuca is one of my favorite garden flowers, I had never heard of eating it. Wow was it good (whats fried not good) with a spicy dipping sauce.

 

[Collector]

I've never heard of eating it. What part of the plant do you eat?

 

[Nyboy]

The whole leaf it was very good, my friend did say you have to ask for it well done..

 

[Nyboy]

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/09/latin-american-cuisine-how-to-make-fried-yuca.html

 

[seedcorn]

Great. Looked up what you were eating. Have yucca everywhere here. Unfortunately, different plant.

 

[baymule]

We always called it Spanish Dagger. If you fell into one, you knew why. I looked up both yucca and cassava AKA yuca. How's that for confusion?

Yucca and yuca or cassava

I found it interesting that Wikipedia mentioned a yucca species that was called meat hangers. My grandfather told me about using what he called beargrass in just that manner. They cut the tough leaves and used them to hang meat in the smokehouse. There is some growing on the property we are buying.

Yucca root has saponins which is nature's soap. Don't eat it. I believe what you had @Nyboy was yuca or cassava. It sounds yummy!

 

[Nyboy]

So not what I have in garden.

 

[baymule]

So not what I have in garden.

Probably not, but hey! If society melts down and you can't buy shampoo or soap, just dig up the yucca root and rub your head/clothes/hands/dog...... with it! But some varieties have edible fruit, seeds and flowers on them. Not claiming to be a taste sensation, but edible.

 

[thistlebloom]

I guess it's that second "c" that sets it apart. The yucca I know and hate (Spanish daggers, meat hanger... those are aptly descriptive names ) is super fibrous and wicked. Our first home purchase was a fixer upper (should have been a tear-down-and-start-overer, but we had to sleep somewhere) was on an acre and about 3/4 of it was yucca. Couldn't shred it, it wouldn't burn, and it was mean with those sharp needle ends.

I was amazed to see it offered in nurseries as a landscape plant.
Sorry NYboy, I guess I was just traumatized into despising it.

But what you actually ate sounds much better!

 

[Nyboy]

I paid $40 for a garden yucca because of the flowers. Thistle the ones at your home did they flower.