Kasuami — Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Kasuami is a steamed cassava cake that serves as an everyday starch in Southeast Sulawesi, particularly among the Buton and Muna communities on the island's southeastern peninsula. Grated cassava is pressed to remove excess liquid, then shaped by hand into small cones before being steamed until firm. It is eaten in place of rice at daily meals in coastal and island villages of the region, usually alongside grilled or fried fish, a chili sambal and sometimes a light vegetable side. To make it, peeled cassava is grated and squeezed through a cloth to drain off the starchy liquid, leaving a drier, crumbly pulp. This pulp is packed into small cone-shaped molds, often lined with woven palm leaf, and steamed over boiling water until the cassava turns translucent and holds its shape when unmolded. Households vary the size of the cones and how finely the cassava is grated, which changes the final texture from dense and chewy to lighter and more crumbly. Some cooks mix in a portion of sweet potato or leave a little of the drained liquid in the pulp, while others press it drier for a firmer cake that keeps longer.