When Does Tapioca Come from?

Tapioca comes from a plant native to Brazil called cassava, or mandioca, in Portuguese. This starchy plant is grown and harvested throughout Brazil, South America and Africa, and its popularity continues to grow within the culinary world thanks to some particular characteristics of the cassava plant.

Where does tapioca come from?

Tapioca is the starch extracted from the cassava root, a tuber used as a food staple in many parts of the world. Cassava is a native vegetable of South America that grows in tropical and subtropical regions.

When did tapioca originate?

The cassava plant, or manioc, is native to the West Indies and to South America, where its roots are ground into meal and then baked into thin cakes. Tapioca became a common Asian food after the cassava was introduced into that part of the world during the 19th century.