Joy Yee's Question>

Joy Yee's has fruit drinks that they call "Tapioca Freezes." They contain a bunch of small gelatin balls. Are these just tapioca flavored gelatin? How is this related to bubble tea?

HI,

The bubbles in bubble tea are tapioca and not a gelatin.

I have never been to Joy Yee or had a tapioca freeze. However tapioca comes in pearls of various sizes as well as ground for use as thickening in pies and other things.

Tapioca is derived from cassava, whereas gelatin is typically an animal product from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves and connective tissues.

Regards,

But isn't tapioca a starch? How it is made into the gelatin-like balls?

Scotty2Hotty wrote:But isn't tapioca a starch? How it is made into the gelatin-like balls?

It is a starch (from the cassava root) that takes a "pearl" form during a reconstitution process.

More here

"Bubble tea" is a tea beverage that includes tapioca pearls. (it may or may not include tea, fruit, milk, etc.) Many Asian restaurants, including Joy Yee, serve bubble tea.

Best,
Michael

Tapioca is a starch made from the cassava plant. The pearls/balls are made from ground tapioca, which are formed, cooked then dried. To reconstitute, they are soaked and cooked again.

For more information, you may want to check this.

(later this topic will be moved to cooking and shopping)

Regards,

Thanks!