Notatoes-Cassava Chips

There was no shortage of unique and interesting foods at Natural Products Expo East last month. These tortilla chips made from Cassava/Yuca are no exception to the uniqueness of the food samples there.

Not familiar with Cassava? I wasn’t either until I spoke with Carlos Gonzalez at his Notatoes (check out their Facebook for updates) both in the New Products Pavillion at Expo East, where I learned that Cassava is just another name for Yuca. Since I learned that we’re all talking about the same vegetable – I realized I’ve actually had Yuca fries before at a Cuban restaurant in Atlantic City (Cuba Libre for those who are local.) This not so pretty vegetable is used in many more foods than I expected, even tapioca desserts! Yup, Cassava can even be turned into a powder (or pearl) and used just like traditional wheat flour, a great alternative for those following a gluten-free diet.

If I wasn’t aware that these chips were made from Cassava flour when I tried them I wouldn’t have been able to tell at all! They taste great, even lighter than traditional tortilla chips. Made with only cassava flour, ground corn, safflower/sunflower oil, evaporated can juice (not sure I feel that the extra sugar/sweetness is really needed) and sea salt. They also don’t really taste as though there is much to any salt on the chips, perhaps it has so little of it. However, I’ve grown used to purchasing chips without salt anyways, so I didn’t mind it much. This very short list of ingredients helps to make this product and the multi-grain variety Non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher and all natural. Since this product was at the New Products Pavilion, I don’t know if it would be in stores near you yet, but if you live in Connecticut maybe they are available by you since Notatoes is based out of Bethel, Connecticut. If you get to try them, I think you will enjoy them as much as I did as an alternative to flour based tortilla chips.