Tapioca

Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava (Manihot esculenta). This species is native to Brazil but spread throughout the Americas. The plant was later spread by Portuguese and Spanish explorers to Africa, the Philippines and most of the West Indies, being now cultivated worldwide. In India, the term "tapioca" is used to represent the root of the plant (cassava), rather than the starch. In Vietnam, it is called bột năng. In Indonesia, it is called singkong. In the Philippines, it is called sago. In Malaysia it is called "Ubi Kayu".