Foods A-Z - T is for Tapioca

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My husband loves tapioca pudding; but pudding is just one of many food items around the world made from this starch. Tapioca is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the perennial cassava plant. It's origins are in two regions of Brazil. Tapioca is a staple food for many people in tropical countries but does not have much food value other than being a carbohydrate. The tapioca starch is processed into a hot soluble powder, meal, syrup, pre-cooked fine/coarse flakes, rectangular sticks and spherical pearls which range from 1 mm to 8 mm in size. Uses of tapioca vary from country to country...it can be used as a thickening agent in some foods, it can be made into flour, milk or bubble tea (using the pearl variety), fruit slush, puddings, cakes, alcohol, to starch garments, as a binder in pharmaceutical tablets, in natural paints and more. Tapioca root can be used to manufacture biodegradable bags, reusable gloves, capes and aprons. It can be composted, is renewable, reusable, recyclable and sustainable. Brazil, Thailand and Nigeria are the biggest producers of cassava. Photo Credit: Pixabay