Editing Tapioca (section)

{{Short description|Starch extracted from cassava roots}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
[[File:Tepung casava.jpg|300px|thumb|Tapioca [[starch]]]]

'''Tapioca''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|t|æ|p|i|ˈ|oʊ|k|ə}}; {{IPA|pt|tapiˈɔkɐ|lang}}) is a [[starch]] extracted from the [[tuber]]s of the [[cassava]] plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the [[North Region, Brazil|North]] and [[Northeast Region, Brazil|Northeast regions]] of [[Brazil]],<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Olsen | first1 = KM 
| last2 = Schaal | first2 = BA | title = Evidence on the origin of cassava: phylogeography of Manihot esculenta 
| journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 96 | issue = 10 | pages = 5586–91 
| year = 1999 | pmid = 10318928 | pmc = 21904|bibcode = 1999PNAS...96.5586O |doi = 10.1073/pnas.96.10.5586 | doi-access = free 
}}</ref> but which has now spread throughout parts of the world such as [[West Africa]] and [[Southeast Asia]]. It is a perennial [[shrub]] adapted to the hot conditions of tropical lowlands. Cassava copes better with poor soils than many other food plants.

Tapioca is a [[staple food]] for millions of people in [[tropical countries]]. It provides only [[carbohydrate]] food value, and is low in [[protein]], [[vitamin]]s, and [[Mineral (nutrient)|minerals]]. In other countries, it is used as a [[thickening agent]] in various manufactured foods.