tapioca

[tap-ee-oh-kuh]

noun

1. a food substance prepared from cassava in granular, flake, pellet pearl tapioca, or flour form, used in puddings, as a thickener, etc.

tapioca

/ ˌtæpɪˈəʊkə /

noun

1. a beadlike starch obtained from cassava root, used in cooking as a thickening agent, esp in puddings

Word History and Origins

Origin of tapioca¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Portuguese, from Tupi tipioca, more literally, “pulp squeezed out” (of cassava plants), from tipi “dregs, residue” + oca “to squeeze out”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tapioca¹

C18: via Portuguese from Tupi tipioca pressed-out juice, from tipi residue + ok to squeeze out

Example Sentences

His first big win was a tapioca substitute nicknamed “Mitchell’s mud”—a gelatinous, starchy blend designed to keep soldiers full in the field.

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"We had tapioca, semolina, treacle sponge pudding, as well as jam roly-poly, cake with icing and sprinkles, chocolate cake and pink custard, and more."

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If the ingredients include things such as “organic tapioca starch” or “pea protein isolate,” or even natural coloring, you might reconsider.

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It is overlaid with a gel created from tapioca starch and gelatin, which is ultrasoft and mimics the makeup of tissue itself.

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It has long flown under the radar in the form of tapioca, a cassava starch used in pudding and boba tea.

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