A mandioca no Ceará: produção, preparações e vínculo cultural

Abstract

This study investigates Manihot esculenta Crantz, commonly known as cassava, a staple food that is central to the sociocultural and dietary identity of the state of Ceará, considering its historical, economic, and symbolic relevance. The research is grounded in the understanding of food as a cultural practice related to the construction of identity, taste, and collective memory. Methodologically, it is characterized as pure research with a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, based on a bibliographic review. The study addresses the origin of cassava, its characteristics, processing methods, and the distinction between bitter and sweet cassava, as well as its integration into the Brazilian food system. National and regional production is analyzed, highlighting Ceará as an important producer and emphasizing traditional practices such as cassava flour houses and the farinhada, understood as spaces of sociability and intergenerational knowledge transmission. Contemporary aspects of cassava in the state are also discussed, including productive modernization and new possibilities of use. Finally, the research systematizes traditional preparations derived from cassava, emphasizing their diversity and relevance in Ceará’s cuisine. The study concludes that cassava remains a structuring element of Ceará’s food culture, playing a fundamental role in preserving traditional food practices and cultural identity, despite challenges related to oral knowledge transmission and the homogenization of eating habits.