Tapioca pudding is a sweet

pudding Pudding is a type of food which can either be a dessert served after the main meal or a Savoury (dish), savoury (salty or sweet, and spicy) dish, served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based des ...

made with

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers 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, but which has ...

and either milk or cream.

Coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

is also used in cases in which the flavor is preferred or in areas in which it is a commonplace ingredient for cooking. It is made in many cultures with equally varying styles and may be produced in a variety of ways.It's one of the popular desserts or "Tong Shui" of Chinese culture. It is believed to have derived from the Mayan culture and was brought to China in the late 17th century. Its consistency ranges from thin (runny), thick, to firm enough to eat with a fork.

Varieties

The pudding can be made from scratch using tapioca in a variety of forms: flakes, coarse meal, sticks, and

pearls A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

. Many commercial packaged mixes are also available. Ingredients served alongside and put into tapioca pudding have varied over time. An American style of tapioca pudding in the 19th century was known to contain no sugar within the pudding itself but would be served with sugar and cream on the side. By contrast, some recipes that circulated through the British Empire during the 18th century were known to season their tapioca with cinnamon, red wine, and even bone marrow.

History

A significant reason for tapioca pudding's popularity was the ease of access in acquiring tapioca balls compared to its alternative,

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

. Tapioca pearls originate from the harvesting of the cassava plant, which required less labor to harvest and grew faster compared to sago. Tapioca pudding would become a prominent staple of the lunches of school children in western countries such as Britain, Australia, and the United States. British schoolchildren have traditionally nicknamed the dish frog spawn due to its appearance. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described it as "Britain's most hated school pudding" with names such as fisheyes, frogspawn, and

eyeball An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the eye ...

pudding. It is, however, making a comeback in the 21st century in Michelin-starred restaurants and less exalted places. In southern India, a type of dessert pudding known as ''jawhuarusee payasam'' made from tapioca pearls is made during festival times. Tapioca pudding was one of the dishes that Rhode Island army officers ate for their

Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

celebrations during the

siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

. July 15th is recognized as National Tapioca Pudding Day.

References

{{African cuisine Puddings Vietnamese cuisine Ghanaian cuisine South African cuisine Cassava desserts American desserts British puddings Milk desserts Creamy dishes

Varieties

History

See also

References