Characteristics of tapioca flour, manufacturing method. Energy value and vitamin and mineral composition, beneficial and harmful effects on the body. Culinary uses and interesting about the product.
Tapioca flour is a fine grind of the core of the root of cassava (cassava), a tuber-like tropical tree. The texture can be monodisperse, flakes and granular. Beads-granules have a matte, slightly shiny surface, they are even called pearls and are often colored. Powder and flakes are only white. The smell of the product is neutral, the taste is sweetish.
How is tapioca flour made?
The process of making tapioca flour is lengthy. Root tubers are dug up and soaked for 60-78 hours. Then they are dried in the hot sun, spread out in one layer.
Initially, tapioca flour is made like cassava. But as soon as the dense brown shell is removed from the roots, it becomes clear that starch will be prepared from the feedstock.
Cut, or rather, chop the core into small pieces, pour over heated boiled water. Leave for a day, wash, grind with a small amount of liquid. The resulting substance looks like condensed milk.
Let it stand for a day - during this time the sediment sinks to the bottom. It is squeezed out, and the gruel is washed several more times, defending with each portion of fresh water for 2-3 hours.
After soaking the sediment, it is laid out in a thin layer on baking sheets and dried until the moisture completely evaporates, and then grind with a grinder or grind with a pestle.
To be sure of the safety of the final product, after the milky-white precipitate has been washed, it is poured with a small amount of boiling water and, before being put to dry, the moisture is evaporated. The raw materials contain poisonous compounds, and they must be completely disposed of.
To obtain a granular texture, the powder is rolled by hand, with fingers, until it is completely dry, or stirred vigorously while boiling, breaking the viscous substance into separate drops. Therefore, the "pearls" are of different sizes.
Despite the high demand for tapioca flour, production is only partially automated. The roots are chopped and washed by hand. Special devices are used only for grinding and drying processes. A blender-like mill and drying chamber are used. At present, we have already developed an automatic granulation machine for the final product.
Manual labor in tropical countries is valued cheaply, so the cost of the product is low. In Ukraine, you can buy packaging with granulated tapioca flour at a price of 80 UAH. for 375 g. In Russia, 475 g of the original product can be purchased for 125-150 rubles.
If you can get the cassava root, you can grind it at home. The algorithm is similar to the one described above. Recommendations: When soaking the original product, the water should be changed every 2-3 hours to prevent mold.
- baking becomes fluffy, airy, does not stale for a long time and does not fall off when the product cools down;
- lumps do not form in sauces with a tropical starch thickener;
- the structure of drinks - jelly or fruit drink - remains homogeneous, the foam that appears when cooled is thin and quickly removed;
- when making minced meat, the thickener can replace eggs, which is convenient for people with an allergy to animal protein;
- does not change the taste of food.
Interesting facts about tapioca flour
Who and when first thought of making this product is unknown. Exotic for us grinding is a familiar addition to the diet for the inhabitants of Latin America and African countries. He has already won recognition among the culinary experts in Japan and South Korea.
A tropical plant whose tubers are used to make tapioca grinding, native to South America. On the adjoining islands, the territory of Australia and Africa, it got along with travelers. Local names are cassava, cassava, yuca. The height of the trunk is up to 3 m, and edible root tubers are 8-10 cm in diameter and from 1 m in length.
Interestingly, although Howard Bradbury suggested drying the paste-like pulp of the root in the sun to remove the toxic substance, cyanide, which is contained in the raw root, the local population adheres to the ancient method of processing. Tapioca is still harvested by careful repeated mixing with water and pressing. This method interferes with the mechanization of manufacturing processes.
The popularity of dishes with tapioca flour is explained by the following facts:
For those trying to lose weight, 1 tsp. Tropical tuber starch added to porridge or cutlets will help you not think about food for a long time. The calorie content of the dish practically does not increase, and the feeling of hunger is blocked for a long time.
Don't have time for expensive salon treatments? An express facelift mask can be made from tapioca flour: diluted with water to a mushy consistency, add 3-4 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil, lemon or pink, apply for 15 minutes. Wash off first with warm and then cold water to close the pores.
Granulated tapioca flour is more commonly sold on supermarket shelves. Before using it before cooking, it should be soaked for 8 hours (preferably overnight) in boiling water. Then the water is changed, the "pearls" are boiled until they become transparent. Then they are poured with milk and left to swell for 2-3 hours.
Do not try to grind the granules back into flour or leave them in water until boiling. They just stick together in a coma. Such a semi-finished product can be used to prepare desserts, but it will not work for decorative purposes or for making drinks. But if you manage to purchase flour, you will not need special culinary knowledge. Home-grown people will surely appreciate pastries and delicacies with exotic grind additives.
Watch a video about the properties of tapioca flour:
