Minute Tapioca Cookbook

MINUTE TAPIOCA COOKBOOK, Minute Tapioca Company, softcover, color illustrations, 2-staple binding, 1923. ITEM CONDITION: near fine. The text block and illustrations are in fine condition with no tears, marks, or dog ears. There is no bookplate or signature of a previous owner. Not a library item or remainer. The illustrated wraps are in near fine condition. 7 x 4 ½, 16 pages, 3 ounces. XX The MINUTE TAPIOCA COOK BOOK is an historically significant advertising cookbook produced by the Minute Tapioca Company. Contents: “12,000 Miles to Your Table” — a promotional narrative about tapioca’s global journey from South Seas plantations to American kitchens. Good Foods for Children — nutrition focused recipes and guidance. For the Sick and Convalescent / Planning the Family Diet — early 20th century dietary advice. General Directions for Preparing Minute Tapioca Dishes — foundational techniques. Soups, Cheese Combinations, Fish and Meat Dishes, Desserts. XX Minute Tapioca was created in 1894 by John Whitman of Orange, Massachusetts, after purchasing the rights from Susan Stavers, a Boston landlady who had begun selling her homemade tapioca locally. By 1904, Whitman was already producing a 30-page promotional cookbook featuring recipes and the “Minute Man” story. The brand later became part of Postum Cereal Co. (1926), which evolved into General Foods. XX [Wikipedia] Tapioca is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (Manihot esculenta, also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but which is now found in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere. It is a perennial shrub adapted to the hot conditions of tropical lowlands. Cassava copes better with poor soils than many other food plants. Tapioca is a staple food for millions of people in tropical countries. It provides only carbohydrate food value and is low in protein, vitamins, and minerals. In other countries, it is used as a thickening agent in various manufactured foods. XX The word "tapioca" is derived from tipi'óka, its name in the Tupi language spoken by natives when the Portuguese first arrived in the Northeast Region of Brazil around 1500.…