In brief
- Kassav is a crispy flatbread made of cassava flour, filled with coconut jam
- Origin: the French Caribbean, Guadeloupe and Martinique
- Essential ingredients: cassava flour, cane sugar, cinnamon, coconut jam
- Enjoyed at breakfast or as a snack, plain and savoury or sweet and filled
Origins and cultural history of kassav
Kassav, also called cassave, is a cassava flatbread made in the French Caribbean, particularly in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Cassava itself is native to South America: it was already grown and processed by the Amerindian peoples of the Caribbean before colonisation, who grated and pressed it to extract the starch before cooking it.
The recipe has been passed down through Creole cuisines, where today it comes in sweet versions, filled with coconut jam or flavoured with vanilla, or plain and savoury as a side dish.
What are the essential ingredients of kassav
Making kassav relies on few ingredients, easy to find in an African and Caribbean grocery shop, including NKOSI.
- cassava flour
- cane sugar
- ground cinnamon
- lemon zest
- coconut jam, for the filling
What to know about kassav
Kassav, also called cassave, is a crispy flatbread made from cassava flour and prepared in Guadeloupe and Martinique. In its sweet version, it is flavored with cinnamon, lemon zest or vanilla and topped with coconut, banana or guava jam. It is also made plain and savory, as a side dish, with just a pinch of salt in place of the sugar and the topping. It is enjoyed at breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
Frequently asked questions about kassav
Does kassav contain gluten?
Cassava flour is not one of the flours that contain gluten, such as wheat, rye or barley flour. If you need to avoid gluten, check the flour’s label, since traces are possible depending on the facility, as well as the label of the filling’s ingredients.
Can kassav be filled with something other than coconut jam?
Yes: kassav is also made plain and savoury, with just a pinch of salt instead of the sugar and filling. The sweet version is traditionally filled with coconut jam, but also with banana or guava jam, common in the Caribbean.
Where can you find the ingredients for kassav in France?
NKOSI sells the cassava flour, cane sugar, ground cinnamon and coconut jam in this recipe on nkosiagro.com and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
