Recipe

Yam Fufú with Sesame: A Recipe from Traditional Cuban Cuisine

Name: Yam Fufú with Sesame: A Recipe from Traditional Cuban Cuisine
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 800 g peeled white yam (raw weight); 2 l water for boiling; 2 teaspoons fine salt; 1 teaspoon mild-flavored oil; 50 g raw sesame seeds; 80 ml warm water; 2 teaspoons mild-flavored oil; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; ¼ teaspoon fine salt

Balls of boiled and mashed yam with a rustic toasted sesame sauce: a simple side dish inspired by traditional Cuban cuisine.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

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Preparation30 min
Cooking35 min
Total time1 h 10 min
Servings4 side dish servings (about 12 balls)
DifficultyEasy

In Cuba, almost everyone associates fufú with plantains, but the word has a broader history. Esteban Pichardo, in his Dictionary of Provincial Cuban Words (1836), describes it as cooked and mashed plantain, yam, or pumpkin. Yam, therefore, was already part of that family of root vegetable and plantain masses.

The sauce comes from another path. As historian Cruz Miguel Ortiz Cuadra explains, the second edition of the Manual del cocinero cubano (1857) includes some yam balls accompanied by a sesame sauce. This entry is a current domestic adaptation of that preparation: the yam is boiled, mashed by hand and formed into balls, and the toasted sesame sauce is prepared with proportions proposed by us, because we do not know the quantities of the old recipe.

The result is one of those recipes with yam worth rescuing: a soft side dish, with a clean flavor, that goes well with meats, fish or a bean dish, and that offers another look at traditional Cuban side dishes.

Ingredients

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For the fufú

800 g peeled white yam (raw weight)
2 l water for boiling
2 teaspoons fine salt
1 teaspoon mild-flavored oil

For the sesame sauce

Method

Sesame sauce

Put the 50 g of sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until light golden and smelling toasted. Transfer immediately to a plate so it does not continue to darken. Reserve a teaspoon for garnish and use the rest in the sauce.
Grind the toasted sesame seeds in the mortar (or in a spice grinder) with the ¼ teaspoon of salt until obtaining a sandy paste that begins to release its oil.
Add the 80 ml of warm water one tablespoon at a time, stirring well between each. Incorporate the 2 teaspoons of oil and the teaspoon of lemon juice. It is ready when it coats the spoon and falls in a thick thread; if it remains too dense, add no more than another tablespoon of water. Reserve.
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Yam fufú

Peel the yam, remove the dark parts and cut it into similar pieces about 4 cm. Weigh it already peeled: you need 800 g. If you are not going to cook it immediately, leave it covered with cold water so it does not darken.
Put the pieces in a pot with the 2 l of cold water and the 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the knife enters without resistance to the center and the edges begin to fall apart.
Remove ½ cup of the cooking water and reserve it. Drain the yam very well in a colander and let it rest for 2-3 minutes to release steam and excess moisture.
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Pass the still hot yam into the mortar and mash it (in two batches if your mortar is small) until achieving a uniform, smooth mass without lumps. Taste: the salt from the water is usually enough. Do not use a blender, because the yam becomes gummy.
Let the mass cool for about 5 minutes, only until you can handle it and it remains warm. Rub your hands with the teaspoon of oil and form about 12 balls the size of a large golf ball, without adding flour. If the mass cracks, add a tablespoon of the reserved cooking water and mash again.
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To serve

Place the warm balls on plates and serve the sesame sauce over or beside them, so each person can adjust to their liking. Sprinkle with the reserved toasted sesame seeds.
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Tips and variations

Which yam to use. This recipe uses edible white yam (genus Dioscorea), with white or ivory pulp. It is not sweet potato nor should it be changed for malanga without notice: with another root vegetable the result is a different dish. The 800 g are of peeled and raw yam.

When peeling it. The skin and juice of raw yam can irritate the skin of some people. Use gloves if its juice irritates you and keep your hands and the knife handle dry to peel it safely.

Texture. Well-cooked yam allows a knife to pass through without resistance to the center. If the mass cracks when forming the balls, add a tablespoon of the reserved cooking water and mash again. Do not process it too long in a blender or food processor: the yam becomes gummy and sticky.

The sauce. It should be pourable but with body, like a light cream somewhat granular. If it thickens while resting, thin it with a teaspoon of warm water. Toast the sesame only until light golden: burnt it turns bitter.

Times. Calculate about 30 minutes of active work (peeling, grinding, mashing and forming), about 35 minutes of cooking (boiling the yam and toasting the sesame) and 5 minutes of cooling before forming the balls.

Storage. The balls are best on the same day. You can keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to a day and reheat them by steaming. The sauce lasts two days cold in a sealed jar; stir it and adjust with water before serving.

Sources. Esteban Pichardo, Dictionary of Provincial Cuban Words (1836), p. 108, documents yam fufú; and the text by Cruz Miguel Ortiz Cuadra on The Foodstorian comments on the yam balls with sesame sauce from the Manual del cocinero cubano (1857).

Yam Fufú with Sesame: A Recipe from Traditional Cuban Cuisine