Tapioca is a starch derived from the root of the manioc, also known as the cassava, a plant indigenous to Brazil. Brazil is also where the word tapioca originated: in Tupi, a language spoken by one of the native peoples of Brazil, the name of the starch is tipioca, a compound formed from tipi, meaning juice, and oc, meaning to squeeze out. Literally therefore, tapioca means to squeeze out the juice, an important reminder because the juice of the manioc plant contains hydrocyanic acid, a deadly poison; once this toxic juice is squeezed out, however, the remaining pulp may be safely cooked and eaten. In English, tapioca was first referred to in the mid seventeenth century.
This is a white, grainy, and starchy substance that is derived from the root of the cassava or manioc plant, which is grown in the West Indies. It is commonly used as a thickening agent in various types of puddings.
This particular cereal derives from the subterranean parts of the cassava plant, a botanical specimen that thrives in tropical regions such as Central and South America, Malaya, as well as the East and West Indies. Tapioca, the name bestowed upon this culinary ingredient, is commercially available in a variety of presentations, with the most prevalent manifestations manifesting as sizable, non-uniform flakes, and expediently cooking orbs commonly referred to as pearls.