| Summary: | The aim of this work was to study the effect of blanching and drying on the quality of four Ethiopian cassava varieties (Chichu, Hawassa-4, Quelle, and Kello). Cassava leaves were subjected to blanching at 100 °C in plain water, 0.2% NaHCO<sub>3</sub>, and 0.4% NaHCO<sub>3</sub> for five minutes. Cassava leaves without blanching were considered as a control. The drying temperature was set at 60 °C with a constant air velocity of 0.14 ms<sup>−1</sup>. A high reduction in vitamin C (95.6% in Chichu, 95.0% in Hawassa-4, 94.9% in Quelle, and 94.4% in Kello) was noticed in leaves blanched in the 0.4% NaHCO<sub>3</sub> solution. After blanching, the reduction in the ash content was higher for those blanched in plain water. The crude fiber and protein content were improved by blanching. Blanching in clear water was more effective among the different solutions in reducing the cyanide content in the leaves of Kello, Quelle, and Chichu by 51, 33, and 60%, respectively. While for Hawassa-4, the reduction was higher (47%) with the 0.2%NaHCO<sub>3</sub> solution. After blanching, the h° values decreased, while a*, b*, and c* increased. Plain water blanching resulted in a better nutritional quality, while Hawassa-4 exhibited the best nutritional value among the four varieties.
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