{{Short description|Deep fried thin slice of cassava root}} thumb|upright=1.1|A close-up view of seasoned tapioca chips
'''Tapioca chips''' are a snack food made from thin wafers of deep-fried cassava root. It is commonly found in South India, and Sri Lanka, as well as in Indonesia where it is known as '''''kripik singkong''''' (cassava chips), and in Malaysia known as ''kerepek ubi''.
It is also a bulk commodity product that is produced and traded, and in this form is used to create products such as alcohol, animal feed, biofuel, and starch.
==Overview== The dish is prepared using raw cassava tubers, whereby the inner rind and outer skin are removed.<ref name="Subhaschandran 1969"/> The chips are then fried or deep-fried in coconut oil, salted, and often spiced with red chili powder.
Tapioca chips have a longer shelf life compared to raw cassava tubers.<ref name="Ninan 1986"/> The snack is sometimes purveyed and consumed as a street food.<ref name="Hindu coimbatore">{{cite web | last=Philip | first=Susan Joe | title=Humans of Coimbatore- Roadside Food Vendors | website=The Hindu | date=December 22, 2017 | url=http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/humans-of-coimbatore-road-side-food-vendors/article22260056.ece | access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref>
Some companies mass-produce and purvey prepared tapioca chips that are packaged in bags.<ref>{{cite book | title=Snack Food | publisher=Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publications | issue=v. 80 | year=1991 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMYgAQAAMAAJ | access-date=January 27, 2018 | page=42}}</ref>
==Variations== ===India and Sri Lanka=== thumbnail|300px|Plain tapioca chips from Kerala thumbnail|300px|Spiced and plain tapioca chips
The snack is widely available in Tamil Nadu,<ref name="Hindu coimbatore"/> Kerala,<ref name="Ninan 1986"/> Karnataka, and Sri Lanka. High in carbohydrates, it is a crunchy and flavorful snack food, and the chips are crunchier compared to banana chips and potato chips. Common variants include the non-spicy and spicy (red chili pepper powder<ref>{{cite web | last=Sripathi | first=Apoorva | title=Relish the local flavour | website=The Hindu | date=September 24, 2015 | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/chennais-indigenous-chaat-masala-pori-tapioca-chips-and-more/article7565909.ece | access-date=February 2, 2018}}</ref> and other spices added).
===Indonesia=== {{main|Kripik}} thumb|right|Indonesian ''kripik singkong'' (cassava chips) Thinly sliced cassava is deep fried to be made as ''kripik singkong'' crackers (cassava chips or tapioca chips).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cookpad.com/id/resep/1521274-homemade-keripik-singkong-cassava-chips|title=Resep Homemade Keripik Singkong (Cassava Chips) oleh Intan Nastiti|website=Cookpad|language=id|access-date=2018-01-27}}</ref> Next to potato chips, cassava chips are a popular snack in Indonesia and are often spiced with various flavors. Some are mass-produced and purveyed under various brand names in stores and supermarkets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kusukachips.com/en/kusuka-cassava-chips/|title=Kusuka Cassava Chips|website=Kusuka|access-date=2018-01-27|archive-date=2018-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212050253/http://kusukachips.com/en/kusuka-cassava-chips/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
A variant of hot and spicy ''kripik singkong'' coated with sugar and chili pepper is known as ''kripik balado''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/indonesian/2014-02-07/warga-australia-pun-belajar-membuat-keripik-balado/1261030|title=Warga Australia Pun Belajar Membuat Keripik Balado|website=www.radioaustralia.net.au|language=id|access-date=2018-01-27}}</ref> or ''keripik sanjai'', a specialty of Bukittinggi city in West Sumatra.
==Commercial tapioca chips== Tapioca chips and pellets are also produced, sold, and traded in bulk as a commodity, and are used to make starch, alcohol, and biofuel.<ref>{{cite web | title=China seen facing tapioca shortage for ethanol | website=U.S. | date=January 21, 2008 | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/china-biofuel-tapioca/china-seen-facing-tapioca-shortage-for-ethanol-idUSPEK13096320080121 | access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=Cassava in Asia, Its Potential and Research Development Needs: Proceedings of a Regional Workshop Held in Bangkok, Thailand, 5-8 June, 1984 | publisher=CIAT | year=1986 | isbn=978-84-89206-48-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxSaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA134 | access-date=January 27, 2018 | page=134}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1=Bradlow | first1=D.D. | last2=Finkelstein | first2=J.G. | title=Negotiating Business Transactions: An Extended Simulation Course | publisher=Wolters Kluwer Law & Business | series=Aspen Coursebook Series | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4548-3838-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k8XfDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT74 | access-date=January 27, 2018 | page=74}}</ref> The product is also used as animal feed in Kerala and Chennai, India, and for this purpose, processing typically involves only the removal of the outer skin of the tubers.<ref name="Subhaschandran 1969"/> Commercial varieties typically consist of the sliced and dried cassava tuber and are not fried in oil.<ref>{{cite book | title=Cassava in Tropical Africa: A Reference Manual | publisher=International Institute of Tropical Agriculture | year=1990 | isbn=978-978-131-041-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m9WuNp5PpLoC&pg=PA108 | access-date=January 27, 2018 | page=108}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal|Food}} {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Banana chips * Cassava-based dishes * List of deep fried foods * List of street foods * Tapioca * Vegetable chips {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Ninan 1986">{{cite book | last=Ninan | first=K.N. | title=Cereal Substitutes in a Developing Economy: A Study of Tapioca, Kerala State | publisher=Concept Publishing Company | year=1986 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2jEG4mBvIoC&pg=PA215 | access-date=January 27, 2018 | page=215}}</ref> <ref name="Subhaschandran 1969">{{cite book | last=Subhaschandran | first=D.V. | title=A Text Book on Animal Nutrition: For the Use of Veterinary Faculty Members, Graduates, and Post-graduates in Veterinary Colleges | publisher=Krishna Subaschandran | year=1969 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwAqAQAAMAAJ | access-date=January 27, 2018 }}</ref> }}
==Further reading== * {{cite web | author=Whitworth, Joseph Janes | title=Hydrocyanic acid forces recall of Tapioca chips | website=Food Quality News | date=October 24, 2014 | url=https://www.foodqualitynews.com/Article/2014/10/24/Poisonous-chemical-found-in-Tapioca-chips | access-date=January 27, 2018}}
==External links== * {{commons-inline|Special:Search/Tapioca chips|Tapioca chips}} * {{cite web|url=https://ankierenique.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/manioc-a-sri-lankan-all-time-favourite/ |title=Manioc, a Sri Lankan all Time Favourite |date=29 April 2012 |publisher=Ankierenique.wordpress.com}}
{{Chips and crisps}} {{Sri Lankan cuisine}} {{Deep fried foods}}
Category:Deep fried foods Category:Indian snack foods Category:Indonesian snack foods Category:Kerala cuisine Category:Sri Lankan snack food Category:Cassava dishes