In India, probably the state where tapioca is mostly consumed is Kerala. In Kerala, it is locally called “Kappa,” and in Tamil Nadu, we call it “maravalli kizhangu or Kuchi kizhangu”. Kuchi means stick in Tamil and Kizhangu means rubber. So it is a tuber that grows from a stick. This plant takes 10 months to a year to grow, and the stick can grow to a height of 3 meters to 4 meters. In Kerala, farmers build up mounds of soil and cut the sticks from the previous harvest into 30-centimeter lengths. They then insert the sticks into the ground, with the bud facing upwards.

In Tamil Nadu, we do it slightly differently. We cut the sticks into slightly shorter lengths of 15-centimeter lengths and insert them slightly diagonally into the soil.

They grow especially well in sandy soils and will produce large amounts of this delicious starchy root. At Solitude, we have had up to 10 kilos per plant.

There are different types of tapioca in our bioregion, the variety with the green stem is more overused commercially in food processing. The variety we grow has red stems and can be eaten raw as well as cooked. It can also be dried and made into flour, which is an ideal substitute for wheat, for people with gluten intolerance.

All in all, tapioca is super easy to grow and it is a year-round food source, which can replace rice and wheat. In Kerala, it is a common breakfast to eat boiled tapioca with fish curry.