Casabe: Puerto Rico's Ancient Yucca Flatbread, Still Eaten Daily

Casabe (or cazabe) is a crisp, thin flatbread made from bitter cassava (yuca) flour. It's Taíno heritage food—pre-Columbian, unchanged in method, still baked on burén (clay griddles) across Puerto Rico.

How It's Made

1. Peel, grate bitter cassava (high cyanogenic glycosides).
2. Press in cibucán (woven tube) to extract toxic juice.
3. Sift flour, spread thin on hot burén.
4. Cook until crisp, flip once. No leavening, no salt traditionally.

When & How It's Eaten

• Daily staple: Rural households, especially interior mountains. With stewed beans (habichuelas guisadas), stewed codfish (bacalao), soups (sancocho).
• Breakfast: Coffee + casabe + cheese/avocado.
• Snack/Street food: Roadside stands, bakeries, chinchorros (food kiosks). Topped with garlic oil, cheese, or mojo.
• Holidays: Christmas (Nochebuena), New Year's, Three Kings Day—served with lechón, pasteles, arroz con gandules.
• Cultural events: Festival Nacional del Casabe (Coamo), Taíno heritage ceremonies.

Why It Endures

• Gluten-free, long shelf life (months dry), portable.
• Connects Puerto Ricans to Taíno ancestry—survival food of the island's first people.
• Symbol of jíbaro (peasant) resilience and identity.

Health Note

Proper processing removes cyanide. Commercial casabe is tested. Home-made requires thorough pressing.

Casabe isn't "yucca bread"—it's cassava flatbread, a living archaeological artifact you can eat.