Budbod balanghoy is sold at P5 per piece at the Punta Princesa Public Market. | CDND PHOTO / Gerard Francisco
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cassava is a starchy root vegetable that is locally known as balanghoy or kamoteng kahoy.
Cassava should be boiled before it can be consumed. Raw cassava contains cyanide so it is important to know how to properly cook this root crop before it is eaten.
In the past, cassava has been the subject of bad press as it has been blamed for several cases of good poisoning.
READ: Food poisoning blamed on cassava
In 2016, Dr. Vivian Azucena-Topor, a Chemistry professor from Iloilo created the “Cassava Cyanide Color Wheel Kit,” a simple and easy-to-use product which can be used by technicians and farmers in the field to check cyanide content of cassava variants.
READ: Teacher Vivian and her kit that detects cassava cyanide
She developed this after learning of a food poisoning incident in 2015 in Guimaras involving students who reportedly consumed cassava.
In Cebu, cassava is largely made into different treats which include cassava cake and pichi-pichi packaged in fancy boxes.
At the public markets, vendors sell puto balanghoy, budbod balanghoy and nilung-ag nga balanghoy at affordable prices.
Boiled cassava is sold at P10 per pack at the Punta Princesa Public Market. | CDND PHOTO / Gerard Francisco
At the Punta Princesa Public Market, one piece of budbod balanghoy (steamed cassava cake wrapped by in banana leaves) is sold at P5 while nilung-ag nga balanghoy (boiled cassava) is only P10 per pack.
Pretty affordable, right?
How do you like your balanghoy? / celr