Manioc , also called cassava and yuca, is a staple food for the Quichua. It grows underground, like a potato. Most people also boil it like a potato. However, it does not taste like a potato. It's starchy and rather bland.
Plantains look like large bananas, but they have a bitter taste unless cooked.
They can be picked green or yellow. The Quichua add variety to their diet with other crops such as sweet potato, chili peppers, and various fruits and nuts from the forest. They also enjoy an annual harvest of queen ants with egg sacs. Copyright 1996 Educational Web Adventures. All rights reserved.