50” long Matapee, store Matapi, Tipití, Indigenous Cooking Lifestyle, Natural History, Museum Artifacts,

The cassava or manioc is a staple crop of most Native Indians of the Amazon Rainforests, and includes some poisonous varieties. In comes the remarkable matapee /matapi, or as called in Brazil store - tipití.

Centuries old techniques of weaving an extendable basket tube using all natural and wild organic reed strips, enclosed at the bottom with an opening at the top.

After the bitter cassava root has been peeled and grated, it is placed in the matapee whereby its poisonous juice (cyanide/ prussic acid) is removed and the pulp made into cassava bread, a white flat unleavened and crispy bread. The extracted light colored juice is boiled for hours to make cassareep, which is now a thick and very dark almost black food condiment, adding a simply amazing taste to foods and for making our famous Guyanese pepper pot.

Here's a great video of using the matapee.