Cassava

Cassava is an early-game ingredient exclusive to the Iron Teeth faction in Timberborn. This starchy tuber is grown and harvested at Farmhouses on irrigated farmland. Cassava is poisonous when raw, a characteristic that historically prompted the Iron Teeth beavers to experiment with fermentation as a food preparation method. This lore detail explains why Cassava cannot be eaten directly and must be processed into Fermented Cassava at a Fermenter before consumption.

As a crop, Cassava behaves similarly to other farmland plants: it requires irrigated soil, takes several days to grow, and is destroyed upon harvest. The Fermenter converts raw Cassava into edible Fermented Cassava, making it one of the simpler two-step food chains in the game. This processing requirement means Iron Teeth colonies need to build Fermenters relatively early to make use of their Cassava harvest.

Cassava farming pairs naturally with the Iron Teeth's broader fermentation-based food economy. The same Fermenters that process Cassava also handle Soybeans and Mushrooms, creating a versatile food processing hub. Plant Cassava alongside other Iron Teeth crops like Kohlrabies to ensure food diversity. Since Cassava has a nutty flavor that beavers enjoy once fermented, it contributes to the Iron Teeth diet alongside Kohlrabies and other faction-specific foods. Stockpile both raw Cassava and finished Fermented Cassava before droughts to ensure continuous food supply.