Uses

Cassava root contains twice as much starch as potatoes. In its native habitats it is a major component of the daily diet. For example, the Brazilians make it into beijú, a cake, farofa, roasted cassava flour served as an accompaniment to meals, and tarubá, a drink. A favourite amongst Peruvians is yuca à la huancaína, a spicy meal with cassava and maize. Cassava can be brewed to make beer or thinly sliced and deep fried like potato chips. Bags of these chips are sold as snacks in South America.
Dried and ground the root provides tapioca starch. This starch is almost neutral in taste and is sold commercially in the form of pearly grains or as flat bread. The West African and Southeast Asian cuisines, in particular, use soaked tapioca pearls to bind sweet dishes. Brazilians make them into a type of pancake which they eat with butter, coconut milk and cheese.
The animal feed industry uses tapioca as a source of carbohydrate which also stops feed pellets from disintegrating.
In its native habitats, folk medicine uses fresh cassava root to heal sores and burns.