Beyond the complex flavours, textures and ritualistic significance, sabudana (sago or tapioca pearl) has a long-winding history of saving millions of lives.

But how did the tapioca tuber, originally from Brazil, become a staple in a South Indian state?

According to history, it happened back in the 1800s, after a great famine hit the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore.

Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma and his brother Visakham Thirunal Maharaja adopted several measures to minimise the impact and help the people cope with the famine. One such measure was the introduction of the starchy tuber as an alternative food source to aid a starving population.

Vishakham, the king’s youngest brother was a botanist, and it was his discovery of the properties of tapioca that helped Travancore survive the wrath of famine.

He also came up with instructions that the tapioca had to be thoroughly cleaned and boiled, with the water discarded, to ensure that the end product — colloquially known as kappa — would be free of its naturally bitter taste.

Later, tapioca also became a reliable and nutritious source of sustenance for people suffering in the aftermath of the Second World War.

At a time when rice had become an expensive food, people relied on kappa to be the staple in their meals, a practice that continues today in traditional Kerala cuisine.

While the introduction of kappa in India took place in Kerala in the 1800s, it was only in 1943 that the first units of crude sabudana came to Salem, Tamil Nadu, as part of an import from Southeast Asia.

Also known as sago, sabudana has been a crucial ingredient in Chinese cuisine for thousands of years but came to India less than 80 years ago.

Once Indians came to know of these pearl-like milky white globules there was no looking back.

With the addition of potatoes, spices, herbs, peanuts, milk, jaggery, dry fruits and sugar, sabudana began to be prepared in many forms — from delish khichdis, crispy vadas, and crunchy papads to luscious kheers or payasams.