According to data meticulously compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 200 people tragically die annually across the globe due to the consumption of improperly processed or prepared cassava. While this number may seem small when compared to the vast number of daily consumers, it is serious enough—and preventable—to have led cassava to be dramatically dubbed “the world’s deadliest food” by some media outlets. This media designation, while somewhat hyperbolic, serves as a vital public health warning about the severe necessity of careful, traditional processing techniques. The immediate danger stems from the concentration of cyanogenic glucosides within the cassava tubers, particularly in the bitter varieties which naturally contain higher levels. When the raw or poorly processed cassava is consumed, these glucosides are broken down by enzymes in the gut, releasing hydrogen cyanide, a rapid and potent poison. A research publication by the WHO clearly and technically explains this biochemical process: “Appropriate processing before consumption can reduce cyanogenic glucoside content of cassava. When high cyanogenic cassava is not processed correctly, high dietary cyanide exposure occurs.” The root essentially holds its own internal chemical weapon, which must be fully deactivated through human skill and intervention before it is safe to eat. This necessity makes the proper handling method a matter of profound life and death, differentiating a meal from a toxic event. The distinction between ‘sweet’ (low cyanide) and ‘bitter’ (high cyanide) cassava is crucial, yet often blurred by the pressures of circumstance.