Another important food item that can spice up our diet is tapioca. This exotic porridge is gradually becoming more and more popular on Polish tables. You will learn more about it from the further part of the text.
What is tapioca?
Tapioca is nothing but one of the varieties of groats that are produced from meal coming from a plant called edible manioc and belonging to the spurge of hepatica. This plant comes from areas of Africa and South America, where it is considered one of the basic ingredients of the diet. The main areas of cassava cultivation are primarily Brazil, Mexico, India and Malaysia.
What primarily draws attention to tapioca is the hypoallergenic character of this groats. Tapioca has no gluten, which can be successfully used by all people with allergy to gluten or increasingly popular celiac disease. It is also worth mentioning that tapioca in comparison to other groats lacking problematic gluten contains a negligible amount of protein. Virtually over 90% consists from carbohydrates, as 100 g of the preparation contains nearly 89 g of the said macronutrient.
Tapioca is also characterized by a beneficial effect for our stomach. Although it does not have too much fiber, porridge prepared from edible cassava is recommended for children whose digestive system is just getting used to digestion. What’s more, also elderly people suffering from ulcers and patients after surgery should consume tapioca, which will not irritate their hypersensitive gastrointestinal tract.
Tapioca usually occurs in the form of flour or small balls of various sizes. Each of the forms of manioc swell after cooking, which makes it applicable in the kitchen. The main purpose is to replace the popular and not quite good for our body thickeners in the form of flour or corn starch. Tapioca itself is most often used for desserts. Usually it is said here about custards, jellies, mousses, pancakes, and even omelets and pancakes. In addition, tapioca can be a very good diversion of some dishes, as it is a great replacement for pasta and other groats in salads. It is also worth mentioning that tapioca has gained popularity in our country thanks to tea containing fruit or milk, which is known as bubble tea.
Tapioka also has a long shelf life. Keep in a sealed container can be used for about 2 years. As far as it goes for preparation, tapioca balls must be pre-soaked and then boiled for about 40 minutes. Some products based on edible manioc just need to pour hot water and boil for only 5 minutes.
Where to buy?
Despite the easy access to many foreign products thanks to online food stores, edible cassava tubers prove to be a food item that is difficult to obtain. Only some discount stores have it on sale, and the price per kilogram usually ranges from 15 to even 30 PLN per kilogram. In the case of tapioca, the matter is much simpler. Most often, this porridge is sold in the form of flour or ready-made balls, which price is about PLN 10 for 500 g of product.