Guyana Farine is a traditional Guyanese recipe for the classic village method of preparing cassava semolina from raw cassava. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Guyanese version of: Guyana Farine.
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I've already provided a recipe for home-made farine as part of the Saint Vincent Bambam (Cassava Bread) recipe. This is more how its made on the village scalw, with examples of how it can be used as an accompaniment with no further cooking and then steamed to serve as you would couscous.
This process works with both sweet and bitter cassava as the cyanogens are removed by the extraction and discarding of the liquids and the toasting of the grated cassava.
Farine is a dry, toasted cassava product that looks like coarse couscous or grits. It’s slightly nutty, crisp, and incredibly versatile. Farine is naturally gluten-free, high in resistant starch, and easy to digest. It’s also shelf-stable, making it a valuable food in areas without refrigeration.
Typically yellow wild cassava is used as it's much easier to remove the skin. which can be done by rubbing with a coarse cloth. However, the cassava peel can be pared away if necessary.
Ingredients:
40kg cassava tubers
Method:
After removing the skin, the cassava is grated. Traditionally this was done on a block of wood with metal spikes jutting out, though today motorized versions are available.
After grating, the cassava pulp is packed into a matapee this is a strainer made from woven pasprlm leaf strips that looks a little like the bottom half of an hourglass. It has two projections at the bottom and top. The top projection is secured to a tree branch whereas a plank is inserted through the bottom one. Someone sits on the end of the plank and this makes the matapee close in on itself, squeezing out the excess liquid from the cassava.
This results in an almost dry husked cassava that looks a little like a sugar loaf in miniature.
This squeezed cassava husk is then pressed through a sieve, again made from woven palm so the cassava is broken down into small pieces (when dried this will be the farine or cassava meal).
The grated cassava is transferred to a large piece of seasoned metal set over a wooden fire (it looks a little like a flattened oil drum).
The metal surface is spread with oil (typically beef tallow or pork lard) and the farine is spread over, adding more tallow or lard.
The farine is now fried whilst being stirred frequently with a wooden paddle to ensure even toasting. Once dry, it is set aside to cool and then packed.
As it's already cooked, farine can be served dry as an accompaniment to any dish with a sauce (eg stews and curries). It can also be lightly steamed and served as you would couscous.
Farine can also be used to thicken soups and stews. Just a few spoonfuls will give body to your favourite recipes. Farine can also be sprinkled on top of dishes for crunch. It adds texture and a mild, nutty flavour to anything from roasted veggies to stews.
The image shows dried, toasted farine on the left and steamed farine on the right.
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