With its slightly sweet taste, this starch is an excellent thickener and is used in a lot of gluten free recipes. It can also easily replace corn starch. What is Tapioca? Tapioca is a starch produced from the root tubers of the Manioc, a tropical plant originating from Brazil. Toxic in their natural states, those roots must be peeled, crushed, soaked, dried, heated and crushed again for us to be able to consume them safely. Nutrition and Health Tapioca presents a good mix of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals and contains almost no “bad” fatty acids. It is known to ease the intestinal transit. Origin Consumed since the dawn of time by native South American populations, the western world discovers tapioca when the Portuguese fleet lands in Brazil in the 16th century.