(by analogy with Yuppie, "young urban professional", and yuca, a vegetable)

In Florida, an acronym for Young Urban Cuban-American. YUCAs are a significant part of the South Florida/Miami population, and determine a lot of the club culture.

When not capitalized, yuca refers to a starchy, edible root vegetable (imagine a large, tough baking potato, and you're not too far away). Yuca is usually peeled, cut up, boiled, then mashed with a sauce made with garlic, onions, olive oil and lemon juice, similar to a mojo criollo. Don't say "yuck-a"; it's pronounced "YOU-ka", and it isn't yucky. For me, it's a comfort food.
