Editing Tapioca (section)

==== India ====

Tapioca pearls are a common ingredient of traditional Indian dishes such as [[kheer]].

Tapioca pearls are used to make ''Sabudana [[khichdi]], [[pakoda]], [[ paratha]]'' in [[Maharashtra]], which is commonly eaten during ''vrat'' (fasting). Indians generally soak it overnight or 6-8 hours in before cooking.

[[File:Tapioca.jpg|thumb|Cooked cassava dish from [[Kerala, India]]]]

[[Cassava]] is referred to as Tapioca in Indian English usage. Cassava is called kappa or maracheeni in [[Malayalam]].

It was introduced in 1880-1885 C.E. by the then Maharaja of [[Travancore]], [[Visakham Thirunal|Vishakham Thirunal Rama Varma]] after a great famine hit the kingdom, as a substitute for rice.<ref name=Saraswathy2019>Saraswathy Nagarajan, [https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/how-tapioca-came-to-travancore/article28181288.ece "How tapioca came to Travancore"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727082403/https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/how-tapioca-came-to-travancore/article28181288.ece |date=July 27, 2020 }}, ''The Hindu'', June 27, 2019</ref>

Tapioca is widely consumed across Kerala. It is taken as breakfast or as a staple food. It is boiled (after skinning and cutting it into large pieces of about {{convert|6–8|cm|abbr=on}} long or into small {{convert|2|cm|abbr=on}} cubes) in water till adequately cooked, and the water is drained off. Once cooked, it can be mixed with grated coconut, chili, salt, turmeric, etc., then steamed and mashed into a dry pudding. If desired, this can be garnished with oil with mustard, onion, curry leaves, etc. Tapioca pieces (chendan kappa) are often eaten with simple chili sauce (a paste of green/red chili, shallots, garlic, salt, and oil).

Mashed tapioca is paired with meat or fish curry, especially sardines, as a delicacy in Kerala. Another popular combination is mashed tapioca with dried salted sardines directly cooked on charcoal and green chili.

Tapioca can be stored for extended periods by parboiling, drying it after skinning, and slicing it into 0.5&nbsp;cm thick pieces. This is called unakka kappa (dried tapioca). Tapioca chips, thinly sliced tapioca wafers, similar to potato chips, are also extremely popular.

In [[Tamil language|Tamil]], the roots of tapioca are called ''maravalli kizhangu'' and are used to prepare chips.
Tapioca pearls are referred to as "javvarisi" in Tamil. Most of the delicacies are cooked from this form of tapioca because it is easier to handle than the raw root itself. Tapioca is cultivated more in several districts, providing steady income to farmers in Tamil Nadu. Tapioca can be consumed raw (after removing the skins/outer cover) or boiled for various dishes or snacks.

In [[Nagaland]] and [[Mizoram]] in [[Northeast India]], tapioca is eaten as a snack. It is usually boiled with a bit of salt in water after skinning it, or snacks are made by drying the tapioca after cutting it. It is then powdered into flour and turned into dough to either make a fired or baked biscuit. In their local dialect, they call it ''kuri aloo'', meaning "wood potato." All groups of society eat these chips as a delicacy. The skin of the tapioca, which is not edible for humans, is kept aside to prepare food for domesticated pigs.

In [[Assam]], sabudana is also used as a substitute diet against boiled rice (bhaat) for the sick, elderly, or infirm for easy digestion and strength.