I was trying to modify a recipe to make it more
paleo/lowcarb when I realized that it called for
tapioca. I recognized it (ie. know where to find it in
the grocery store), but realized I had no idea what it
was. Cook's Thesaurus yielded this:

****
cassava = casava = manioc = mandioca = tapioca root =
yucca = yucca root = yuca root = Brazilian arrowroot
Pronunciation:   kuh-SAH-vuh   Notes:   People in
Hispanic countries use cassavas much like Americans
use potatoes.  There's both a sweet and a bitter
variety of cassava. The sweet one can be eaten raw,
but the bitter one requires cooking to destroy the
harmful prussic acid it contains.  It's often best to
buy frozen cassava, since the fresh kind is hard to
peel.  Look for it in Hispanic markets.  It doesn't
store well, so use it within a day or two of purchase.
  Substitutes: malanga OR dasheen OR potato (not as
gluey)
****

So far so good. It is definitely "new world" which
would rule it out for many people (but not me).
Couldn't get any further in my line of reasoning -
obviously the sweet one might be fine but the bitter
is not (because it *has* to be cooked, if my
understanding is correct). Does anyone know which kind
tapioca is made from?

Of course, I might decide the issue is moot, since the
tapioca in the store is obviously highly processed,
even if it doesn't *have* to be in order to be edible.
The gourmet cook in me is becoming a bit terrified at
the prospect of not being able to thicken sauces. An
extension of my original question -- Do any of you use
arrowroot as a thickener? (It appears to come from
China, but I have no idea if it is edible raw.)

Jen in NC
(I really appreciate any help...)



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