The flour house - A casa de farinha

After several years of research and witnessing the cassava harvest season, in September 2023, in the wilderness of the State of Ceará, I was finally able to learn about the entire artisanal process and the premises of the ancient manufacturing of cassava flour and tapioca.

The “flour house” in Brazil is not a specific location, but rather a traditional construction, generally a large open structure with a roof, present in several regions of the country, mainly in rural areas. The place used to prepare cassava in pre-colonial times was a thatched roof open on one side. Today, the interior of this house contains the equipment necessary to transform cassava into Brazilian cooking food.
Cassava has significant cultural and historical importance in Brazil, playing a crucial role in the diet of indigenous peoples, and Portuguese colonizers. It served as a livelihood base for the indigenous people during colonization and to the elders’ residents.

The cassava flour production process is laborious and requires knowledge. The men are responsible for extracting the cassava from the field and transporting it to the flour mill. Women carry out the extraction steps, while men continue pressing, crumbling, sifting, roasting and bagging. The flour house represents an important symbol of Brazilian food culture and rural tradition. It serves as a meeting and socialization space for the rural community. Joint work is essential to produce artisanal flour, as the amount of cassava to harvest and rake is significant. Parents, friends, and neighbors are present on the agreed days, making this difficult task a time to meet, exchange information and reunite, laugh, and share stories. In addition to socialization, cassava houses are cultural spaces with countless potential for preserving, protecting, and disseminating popular traditions.