Meaning
The variety of cassava that is toxic when raw and must be grated, pressed to squeeze out its poisonous juice, and thoroughly cooked before it is safe to eat. Bitter cassava is the traditional base for bammy and for cassava flour, and the careful old process of preparing it — a knowledge passed down from the Taíno and through generations of farmers — is what makes it safe. It is distinguished from the harmless sweet cassava.
Examples
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Yuh haffi squeeze out di juice from bitter cassava.
You have to squeeze the juice out of bitter cassava.
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Bammy mek from bitter cassava.
Bammy is made from bitter cassava.
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Never nyam bitter cassava raw.
Never eat bitter cassava raw.
Origin
From 'bitter' + 'cassava' (Taíno-derived); the toxic-until-processed cassava. See [[sweet-cassava]], [[bammy]].
How it’s used
The toxic-when-raw cassava; must be processed. Base for bammy. See [[sweet-cassava]], [[bammy]].