Cubapop
Life, Culture and Travels from the perspective of a Cuban
Malanga in Toronto
Categories: Chewing/Sipping

For Cubans, the healthiest food of all is the malanga. If you have stomach problems or if you need to feed a newborn you use the miraculous malanga puree. No one would want to use potatoes or rice if they can get a good malanga in their hands. Since I moved to Toronto I have mentioned the nutritious malanga in several occasions, to people with babies in particular, and no one seemed to have ever heard of it.

I thought that maybe in South America the “vianda” goes by another name and it is sold to the Latin community in Toronto under a different name or, like yucca, it is a product that is not popular in Canada at all.

Yesterday I went to a Chinese market in the North York area of  Toronto and found Malanga! I was so happy and surprised that I started joking about how now I can have children in Canada. 😉

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A few questions remain: Do Chinese use malanga in their cuisine? Do other countries call it malanga too?

I am sure that a Cuban or two are preparing malanga during these holidays. Those who choose to eat healthy for Christmas will probably slice it and boil it like a potato but a lot of Cubans will prepare “fritura de malanga”(fritters) as a side dish.

3 Comments to “Malanga in Toronto”

  1. Mel says:

    Hi There, 3 years later….which supermarket in North york did you find Malanga?

  2. Elsje says:

    Hi, I’ve been in Toronto 10 years.still can’t find malangal.’cause didn’t know how it’s called in English. In Suriname and Netherland it’s called pomtayer.malangal chicken casserole is an Surinamese traditional dish, it’s called pom. Please, could you give me the name of the store?. Thanks in advance.

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