Description
Tapioca has a neutral flavor and strong gelling power, making it highly useable as a thickening agent in both sweet and savory foods. It is opaque prior to cooking but turns translucent upon hydration. Unlike Cornstarch, it can withstand a freeze thaw cycle without losing its gel structure or breaking down. Tapioca must be soaked and then boiled with a liquid to form a gel and is therefore usually added to food prior to cooking. For instance, to use it in a pie filling, mix it with the other ingredients, then let it sit for at least five minutes so that the tapioca can absorb some of the liquid.
Highlights
This powder is the starch of the cassava roots, extracted during flour production.
Tapioca is a one of the purest forms of food starch and is a by-product of manioc flour production from cassava roots (aka yucca or manioc), the tubers of a woody shrub native to South America.
Tapioca has a neutral flavor and strong gelling power, making it highly useable as a thickening agent in both sweet and savory foods. It is opaque prior to cooking but turns translucent upon hydration. Unlike Cornstarch, it can withstand a freeze thaw cycle without losing its gel structure or breaking down. Tapioca must be soaked and then boiled with a liquid to form a gel and is therefore usually added to food prior to cooking. For instance, to use it in a pie filling, mix it with the other ingredients, then let it sit for at least five minutes so that the tapioca can absorb some of the liquid.
