Photo: jdrorer/Flickr

If you haven’t already, meet the yuca, also called manioc and cassava. It’s a tuberous root vegetable loaded with carbohydrates, a rich source of calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamin C. Considered Brazil’s most significant contribution to the world’s food basket (though Brazil alone cannot claim it as theirs), manioc will be the featured ingredient on the menu of a Brazilian Cocktail Party being co-sponsored this Thursday evening by Slow Food Boston and the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS).

This month, with this festa, Slow Food Boston is launching the first in a series of food-related events exploring immigrant traditions, the goal of which, according to series organizer Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, is to increase mainstream appreciation for immigrant foodways–and to encourage immigrants to hold onto their cultures. Brazil is the first stop. Volunteer chefswill be serving up toasted farofa, bread, and a home fry all made with manioc, plus frosty caipirinhas, piping hot cheese rolls and other delicious appetizers prepared by the MAPS Brazilian staff. Proceeds will go towards MAPS AIDS/HIV Prevention & Education Program.

To whet your appetite, head to the Slow Food blog for video footage of Anastacia’s outing to Casa de Carnes Solução, a Brazilian butcher shop on Bow St. in Somerville. And, glance through this site offering numerous recipes calling for yuca–it will give a sense of how manioc is incorporated into the meals of so many tropical- and sub-tropical countries.

Enjoy!