Tapioca Granules Cert. Organic (Manihot utilissima) 1 lb: K

This is Frontier's nitrogen-flushed double wall silverfoil pack. Some Frontier packs are double wall wax-lined paper. Tapioca is a refined starch obtained from the root of the cassava plant Manihot utilissima (synonym Manihot esculenta), which is also variously known as manioc and yuca, and, in the old herbals, mandioca. Cassava is native to South America, but is now extensively grown in tropical regions the world over and is among the top half dozen cash crops of the tropics. Mrs. Grieve covers the history of this originally South American food below. Cassava has a very high starch content at 24%, most of which is stored as food reserved in the root of the plant. Cassava starch has an interesting property of forming into a stringy mass once dissolved in water; so most tapioca is sold as small balls, or pearl tapioca. Pearl tapioca is manufactured by extracting the juice from cassava roots leaving just the pulp. This pulp is soaked in water, then kneaded to release as much starch as possible. The fibrous remains of the root are strained away and the resultant liquid is dropped onto a hotplate, where they dry, gelatinize and form into the familiar pearls. Tapioca is also sold in flour form, which is simply known as tapioca starch. Tapioca starch is used as a thickening agent, in much the same manner as cornflour (cornstarch), while tapioca pearls are generally used in sweet dishes. South-East Asia has become the spiritual home of pearl tapioca desserts, where a mouthwatering array of differently scented confections can be found. A tapioca drink originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. It is a sweet beverage served in a myriad of mostly fruit flavors -- honeydew, mango, kiwi, strawberry, lemon -- but what makes it so much fun are the large globules of tapioca in each glass. Tapioca drinks are known by many names: bubble tea, boba drink, pearl tea drink, boba iced tea, boba nai cha, zhen zhou nai cha, pearl milk tea, pearl iced tea, black pearl tea, tapioca ball drink, pearl shake or QQ (which means chewy in Chinese). Forget that bland white pudding - those are multi-colored chewy bubbles about ½ inch in diameter, lurking in the bottom of the glass. The drinks are served with short fat straws wide enough to accommodate the tapioca pearls, which slide up the straw and into your mouth. In consistency, the tapioca pearls are somewhere between Jell-O and gummy-bears. Their ability to absorb color and flavor makes them a versatile favorite. Try Chocolate Tapioca Parfait, Apple Tapioca Pudding, Strawberry Tapioca Milk Shakes - the delicious combinations are endless. Creamy Tapioca Pudding: 4 servings/Serving size: 2/3 cup 2 cups skim milk 3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca 1 egg 1/8 tsp. salt 3½ tsp. brown sugar or steviaside 1-2 tsp. vanilla Ground cinnamon and nutmeg Combine milk, tapioca, egg, and salt in medium saucepan. Let 5 minutes. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Remo