Kraft Minute Tapioca

I knew of tapioca, but had no idea there was a "quick" tapioca. Apparently quick tapioca is precooked tapioca with some soy lecithin, likely for anti-sticking or "release agent" properties.


Used in pudding and pies, what the heck is tapioca? I shall look it up in the handy dandy tome of food information, the Larousse Gastronomique! (Said with an upward thrust of a pointed finger in my most French accent).

A starchy food extracted from the roots of the manioc plant, which is hydrated, cooked, then ground. Used mainly for thickening soups and broths and making milk puddings and other desserts, tapioca contains 360 Cal per 100 g. Highly digestible, it is low in mineral salts and vitamins. True tapioca (the word is derived from the Tupi-Guarani typioca) comes from Guyana, Brazil, and the West Indies.

Well, there you have it. That's tapioca. Now, what is manioc?


A brief excerpt from Larousse describing manioc:

The edible root of a tropical plant, also called cassava, having a white starchy flesh beneath a white rind; it is used as a vegetable or to make tapioca.

Oh man, it's yuca! I love yuca! Well, french fried yuca anyway.

Kraft Minute Tapioca, available in the baking aisle (on a very low shelf) of your local Ralph's for $4.99/8 oz.

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