Manaus City Market ( Mercado Municipal ), Brazil. Tucupi is a yellow sauce extracted from wild manioc root, which is peeled, grated and then the juice is squeezed out (traditionally using an basket-like instrument called the tipiti). After being squeezed through the tipiti, the juice is left to "rest" so that the starch separates from the liquid (tucupi). Poisonous at this stage due to the presence of cyanide, the tucupi is boiled for hours - a process which eliminates the poison. The tucupi can then be used as a sauce in cooking. Tucupi is very common in the cuisine of Brazilians of the Amazon region.