This is the most important food for him and other Brazilians. Mandioca is called cassava in English. The plant grows all year round. 

The roots are dug up, cleaned and boiled. Or they are pounded, dried, and sieved into flour. The juice of the root is made into tapioca. The tapioca is often eaten as a main dish, or ground up and cooked into sauces. 

Cassava is eaten in many parts of the world, including Africa and the Caribbean. It's rather like potatoes in Canada. What's very interesting, is that cassava is poisonous until it is cooked. Who discovered that?!

Josef and his neighbours grow everything they need to eat. People in rural areas often grow their own food. 

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