Tapioca is a starchy food made from cassava tubers (manihot esculenta). If you’ve ever eaten tapioca, you have eaten cassava. Therefore, tapioca is essentially pure carbohydrate with negligible fibre, protein or nutrients.

One cup of dry pearl tapioca contains 544 calories, 135 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of sugar. There are virtually no vitamins to speak of other than a small amount of folate and pantothenic acid yet the same amount yields 13 per cent of the recommended daily value in iron and 8 per cent of manganese.

Moisture is removed from tapioca either by evaporation or squeezing out the fluid after it has been ground, leaving a fine, white powder. It’s often sold as flour or pressed into flakes or “pearls,” which should be boiled before they are eaten; one part dry pearls to 8 parts water is a good ratio.

The product usually resembles small, translucent and gel-like balls with a leathery consistency that expands when it becomes moist. Where gluten-free meals are required, tapioca is one of the best alternatives to wheat and other grains.

While tapioca starch provides energy with very little nutritional value, it’s gluten-free which makes it worth its weight in gold for a growing number of people who are allergic or sensitive to gluten. It is also a good alternative to flour for cooking and baking. This applies to such options as:

– Gluten and grain-free bread made from tapioca is sometimes combined with other flours such as coconut flour or almond meal to improve nutrition.

– As a thickener, tapioca is excellent for bulking up the consistency of soups or stews as it’s essentially flavourless.

– Flatbread made from tapioca is most often found in developing countries because it’s inexpensive and very versatile.

– Added to burgers and dough, tapioca is a binder that can improve the texture and moisture content in foods without becoming soggy.

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