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A freshly cooked kasav is pale and brittle, with a faint dryness on the tongue and a mineral earthiness from the cassava that no wheat flatbread can replicate — the taste of a staple that has existed in Haiti since long before the French arrived. Kasav descends directly from the Taino people, the Indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola, who developed the technique of grating bitter cassava root, pressing out its toxic juice, and griddle-cooking the dry pulp into flat rounds that could be stored for weeks. Today it remains a daily bread in rural Haiti and a beloved snack across the country, sold in markets in thin crispy rounds or thicker softer versions. It is the bread that goes with soup joumou on New Year's morning, the wrapper for akra fritters from street vendors, and for many Haitians abroad the taste that most recalls home.
In a large bowl, combine the cassava flour, salt, and baking powder (if using).
Gradually add water to the dry ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms. The dough should be pliable but not too sticky. Adjust the water as needed.
Divide the dough into small balls, about the size of a golf ball.
On a lightly floured surface, flatten each ball into a thin, round disk, about 1/8 inch thick.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or oil.
Place the flattened dough disks onto the hot skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown spots appear and the kasav is cooked through.
Remove the kasav from the skillet and let cool slightly before serving.
Kasav is a Haitian flatbread made from grated bitter cassava (manioc) that has been pressed to remove its toxic prussic acid juice, then dry-cooked on a hot griddle with no fat until it sets into a thin, crisp round. It is naturally gluten-free and can be stored without refrigeration for weeks, which made it invaluable as a staple food for centuries.
Kasav predates European colonization of Hispaniola — it is directly inherited from the Taino people, who had perfected the technique of detoxifying bitter cassava root and cooking it into flatbread long before Columbus arrived in 1492. The name comes from the Taino word "casabi." Today kasav is eaten across Haiti and throughout the Caribbean and parts of South America where Taino cassava culture spread.
Traditional kasav requires only bitter cassava root, water, and salt — the cassava is grated, wrung through cloth to extract the poisonous juice (called manipueira), and the dry pulp pressed and cooked. The commercial and home version often uses cassava flour (also called yuca flour or manioc flour), which is already processed and safe to cook directly.
The key to a good kasav is even thickness — too thick and the center stays doughy, too thin and it cracks before you can flip it. Cook on dry, ungreased cast iron at medium heat; the flatbread should lift cleanly when the underside is dry. Press the dough firmly in the pan before cooking to compact it.
Kasav is the natural companion to soup joumou — used to scoop and dip. Street vendors serve it alongside griot and pikliz as a wrapper. In homes it often appears at breakfast with avocado, peanut butter, or herring in tomato sauce. A simple spread of Haitian epis paste and butter on warm kasav is a fast and satisfying snack.