The Falando Atlas of Brazilian Portuguese
mandioca, macaxeira or aipim — mandioca (nationwide); macaxeira (the Northeast, Bahia, the North); aipim (Rio de Janeiro, the Southeast).
Approximate. Usage varies by age, social group and context; a word can be heard outside the highlighted area.
Cassava is the clearest case of one plant with three Brazilian names, and Brazilians themselves enjoy arguing about it.
Mandioca is the nationwide term and the one dictionaries lead with. Macaxeira is what you will hear across the Northeast and much of the North, and aipim is normal in Rio de Janeiro and parts of the Southeast. The boundaries are soft: all three are understood almost everywhere, and in some markets you will hear two of them at neighbouring stalls.
If you are learning, mandioca is the safe default — but ordering macaxeira frita in Recife will sound a great deal more local.
cassava
The standard, nationwide name for cassava — understood and safe anywhere in Brazil. Which word people actually reach for depends on where they are: macaxeira across the Northeast and North, aipim in Rio and much of the Southeast.
Mandioca é um alimento comum em várias regiões.Cassava is a common food in many regions.
Understood everywhere in Brazil.
cassava
The everyday word for sweet cassava across the Northeast and the North — in Recife or Salvador this, not mandioca, is what you order. Priberam marks it a Brazilian regionalism without naming the region.
No Nordeste, muita gente fala macaxeira.In the Northeast, many people say macaxeira.
cassava
In Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo this is the everyday word for sweet cassava, and it is heard in parts of the South too. It is understood well beyond that area; mandioca is the safe nationwide alternative.
No Rio, muita gente chama mandioca de aipim.In Rio, many people call cassava aipim.
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