cassava chips — Brazil

Cassava chips are thin wafers of cassava root, sliced very fine and deep-fried until crisp and lightly golden. In Brazil, where cassava is a staple crop grown throughout the country, the chips are sold as a packaged snack or made at home from freshly peeled roots. They are eaten as a snack on their own, alongside drinks, or served as a crunchy side with grilled meats and stews, and are found in markets and snack shops in both rural and urban areas of the country. To make them, peeled cassava root is sliced into very thin, even rounds, ideally with a mandoline, then soaked briefly in salted water to draw out excess starch. The slices are dried and fried in batches in hot oil until they turn crisp and pale gold, then drained and salted while still warm so the seasoning sticks. Thickness of the slice makes the biggest difference: thinner cuts fry into a light, brittle chip, while slightly thicker ones stay a little chewier in the center. Some cooks season the chips only with salt, others add a dusting of paprika or garlic powder after frying, and the frying oil ranges from vegetable oil to palm oil depending on the region.