Tapioca Flour: What Is It Exactly?
Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava root (Manihot esculenta). This species is native to the North Region of Brazil, but spread throughout the South American continent.
Portuguese and Spanish explorers carried the plant to most of the West Indies, and continents of Africa and Asia, including the Philippines and Taiwan.
It is now cultivated worldwide. A staple food in many world regions, tapioca is used as a thickening agent in various foods.
The Uhrobo and Benin tribes of Nigeria cook starch extracted from cassava with palm oil into a glutinous meal called “starch.” This is eaten with “pepper soup.”
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What does tapioca flour taste like?
If you’ve ever had tapioca pudding, then you know what tapioca flour tastes like. It’s a starchy white flour with a slight sweet flavor. Tapioca flour is an alternative to traditional wheat flours and has a variety of uses in baking.
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What’s the difference between tapioca flour and cassava flour?
Tapioca flour is made from the starchy part of the cassava root, while cassava flour uses the whole root. In most recipes, tapioca flour can be swapped out for cassava flour, but because cassava flour has more fiber, it will result in a slightly thicker end product.
What’s the difference between tapioca flour and all purpose flour?
Tapioca flour is a type of flour made from the root of the cassava plant. It’s a starchy white flour with a slightly sweet flavor and is often used as a replacement for all-purpose flour, which is made from wheat and contains gluten. Tapioca flour is gluten-free and has a variety of uses in baking, such as thickening sauces or binding ingredients together.
Conclusion
Tapioca flour is a great product to work with if you have to bake gluten-free, but it’s also naturally sweeter and great for cakes and desserts.
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
