Tapioca is extracted from the roots of the cassava plant, originally found in South America. It is a very low-maintenance crop which serves as a staple food throughout many areas in Africa, Asia and South America.

Though it does not carry much nutrition on its own, tapioca consists mostly of starch. This makes it a fantastic substitute for wheat flour among individuals who are gluten-intolerant or allergic to wheat- thus allowing them to partake in gluten-free baking and cooking.

Commercially, tapioca comes in various forms such as white powder, small chips or balls referred to as pearls.

Tapioca Uses

Because it lacks grains and gluten, this grain-free alternative can be used for different cooking techniques:

Bread-making: Tapioca flour is commonly used when making gluten-free bread but can also be mixed with other flours to create different textures.

Flatbreads: In some countries flatbread’s are stuffed with various fillings; these versatile snacks usually have tapioca as their main ingredient.

Puddings and Desserts: Creamy puddings can be made using tapioca pearls alone while other sweet treats such as boba tea require them too.

Thickening Agent: Soups sauces and gravies can benefit from its unique ability to thicken without altering flavor.

Nutrition of Tapioca

Protein, fat, and fiber are only present in small amounts in tapioca, as well as other nutrients which are all below 0.1 percent of the daily recommended intake. One cup of dried tapioca pearls equals to 544 calories.

Therefore, it can be said that nutritionally tapioca is not as good as many other grains or flours because it contains very little protein and nutrients.

Bubble Tea and How To Make It

Sometimes called boba tea or bubble milk tea among other names such as pearl shake; this chilled sweet drink uses boiled tapioca balls (pearls). Bubble tea is often made by combining brewed tea with syrup or milk before being served cold over ice cubes. The most common type has black pearls which were cooked in brown sugar.

Because it contains a lot of sugar, bubble tea should be taken moderately if one wants to stay healthy.

The Benefits Of Tapioca For Health

Tapioca can be an excellent alternative for people allergic or sensitive to wheat, grains and gluten who need variety in their diet so as not to feel limited by their condition or medical advice given about what they should avoid eating altogether.

Tapiocas versatility enables it to replace regular flour used for baking purposes when making cakes cookies biscuits etc; also act like corn starch does when used as thickener for sauces soups stews gravies etcetera.. Mixing with almond meal/ground almonds/coconut meal will give more nutrients than using alone.