{{Short description|Alcoholic beverage}} {{About|the alcoholic beverage|other topics with similar names|Casiri (disambiguation){{!}}Casiri|and|Q'asiri (disambiguation){{!}}Q'asiri}} '''Kasiri''', also known as '''kaschiri''' and '''cassava beer''', is an alcoholic drink made from cassava by Amerindians in Venezuela, Suriname and Guyana.
The roots of the cassava plant are grated, diluted in water, and pressed in a cylindrical basketwork press to extract the juice. The extracted juice is fermented to produce kasiri. In Brazil and Suriname the cassava roots are chewed and expectorated, a process where the amylase enzyme in saliva turns the starch into sugars and start fermentation.<ref>{{cite book |last = Hornsey |first = Ian S. |title = A History of Beer and Brewing |publisher = Royal Society of Chemistry |location = Cambridge, UK |year = 2003 |pages = 26–28 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QqnvNsgas20C&q=cassava+beer&pg=PA27 |isbn = 0-85404-630-5}}</ref><ref>''Cassava'' USDA plant guide [https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/doc/cs_maes.doc plants.usda.gov]</ref><ref>"Their staple food is cassava, from which they make cassava bread and brew kasiri, 'cassava beer'." ''Tribal cures for modern ailments'' By Manon van Vark in Surinam 28 August, 1999 BBC News [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/431829.stm news.bbc.co.uk]</ref><ref name="tropilab">[http://www.tropilab.com/manihot-esc.html www.tropilab.com]</ref>
The juice can also be boiled until it becomes a dark viscous syrup called ''kasripo'' (cassareep).<ref name="tropilab" /> This syrup has antiseptic properties and is used for flavoring.<ref name="tropilab" />
==See also== * List of amylase-induced fermentations
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Native American cuisine Category:Surinamese cuisine Category:Amylase induced fermentation Category:Guyanese cuisine Category:Types of beer Category:Cassava dishes
{{Alcoholic beverages}} {{drink-stub}}