Editing Tapioca (section)

===South America===
In [[Colombia]] and [[Venezuela]], [[arepa]]s may be made with tapioca flour rather than cornmeal. Tapioca arepas probably predate cornmeal arepas;{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} among traditional cultures of the Caribbean, the name for them is [[casabe]]. Throughout both Spanish and Portuguese South America, the tapioca, or yuca, starch is used to make regional variations of the baked [[cheese bun]], known locally as ''[[pandebono]]'', ''[[pan de yuca]]'', ''[[pão de queijo]]'', ''[[chipá]]'', or ''[[cuñapé]]'', among other names.

The whole, unprocessed cassava root also has several culinary uses throughout South America.
====Brazil====
[[File:Tapioca do Alto da Sé - Olinda-PE.jpg|thumb|Beiju, Brazilian tapioca flatbread of Alto da Sé, in [[Olinda]], [[Pernambuco]].]]

In [[Cuisine of Brazil|Brazilian cuisine]], tapioca is used for different types of meals. In beiju (or biju), also simply called "tapioca," <ref>{{cite web|last=McMenamin|first=Aura|date=2019-06-05|title=At Padoca, Brazilian Comfort Foods that Are Easy on the Wallet|url=https://www.dublininquirer.com/2019/06/05/at-padoca-brazilian-comfort-foods-that-are-easy-on-the-wallet|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-05|website=Dublin Inquirer|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605054227/https://www.dublininquirer.com/2019/06/05/at-padoca-brazilian-comfort-foods-that-are-easy-on-the-wallet}}</ref> the tapioca is moistened, strained through a sieve to become a coarse flour, then sprinkled onto a hot griddle or pan, where the heat makes the moist grains fuse into a flatbread which resembles a [[pancake]] or [[Crêpe|crepe]]. Then it may be buttered and eaten like toast (its most common use as a breakfast dish), or it may be filled with savory or sweet fillings, which define the kind of meal the tapioca is used for: breakfast/dinner or dessert. Choices for fillings range from butter, cheese, ham, bacon, vegetables, various kinds of [[meat]], [[chocolate]], [[fruit]]s such as ground coconut, [[condensed milk]], chocolate with slices of banana or [[strawberry]], Nutella and cinnamon among others. This kind of tapioca dish is usually served warm.

A regional dessert called ''[[Sagu (dessert)|sagu]]'' is also made in Southern Brazil from tapioca pearls traditionally cooked with cinnamon and cloves in red wine, although other fruit flavors may be used. The cassava root is known by different names throughout the country: ''mandioca'' in the North, Central-West, and São Paulo; ''macaxeira'' in the Northeast; ''aipim'' in the Southeast and South.

The fine-grained tapioca starch is called ''polvilho,'' and it is classified as either "sweet" or "sour." Sour ''polvilho'' is commonly used in dishes such as ''[[pão de queijo]]'' or "[[Cheese_bun|cheese bread]]," in which the starch is mixed with a hard cheese, usually matured [[Minas cheese]] (could be substituted by [[Parmesan cheese]]), eggs and butter and baked in the oven. The final result is an aromatic, chewy, and often crusty kind of bread that is ubiquitous across the country. Sweet ''polvilho'' is commonly used in cookies or cakes.