Puffed Tapioca Flakes

When hydrated, this flour becomes the Brazilian natural thickener – more neutral than corn starch and having no aftertaste, it gives perfect texture to vinaigrettes and broths. In Bahia, where it is widely used, puffed tapioca flakes appear in at least two traditional recipes: the Bolinho de estudante (literally “student’s donut”), a delicacy always present on the trays of baianas do acarajé (women who sell traditional food on the streets of Salvador), which mixes the ingredient with freshly shredded coconut, and a no-bake cake made with coconut milk, sometimes called cuscuz de tapioca. In the North region, it is commonly served with fresh puréed açai. It does not have the same uses as the industrialized flour sold in Brazil as “tapioca”, which is in fact goma, i.e., hydrated manioc / tapioca starch.