Tag: Native foods

While European explorers succumbed to scurvy on long voyages, indigenous populations thrived for centuries, baffling onlookers with their robust health. The answer lies in how did natives get vitamin C, which was through a profound understanding of their local environment and food sources, far beyond what any citrus-loving sailor could imagine.

While often confused with the starchy tropical root *yuca*, various parts of the native North American *yucca* plant have been a traditional food source for centuries. But is the chaparral yucca plant edible, and what crucial precautions should foragers take?