Basic Data

We’re going underground! Tapioca is itself a starch, derived from the cassava plant, Manihot esculenta, also known by the names manioc, mandioca, aipim, kamoteng kahoy, mogo, and yuca. It’s cultivated and serves as a staple in South America, Africa, and East Asia. In America, tapioca flour and tapioca starch are one and the same—some companies market their product as flour rather than starch. The pearl tapioca commonly seen in puddings and Asian “bubble” teas and other beverages is “beads” of the extracted starch.