Coconut milk is also used in cases in which the flavor is preferred or in areas in which it is a commonplace ingredient for cooking.

The pudding can be made from scratch using tapioca in a variety of forms: flakes, coarse meal, sticks, and pearls.

[3] By contrast, some recipes that circulated through the British Empire during the 18th century were known to season their tapioca with cinnamon, red wine, and even bone marrow.

[5] Tapioca pudding would become a prominent staple of the lunches of school children in western countries such as Britain, Australia, and the United States.

Tapioca pudding was one of the dishes that Rhode Island army officers ate for their Fourth of July celebrations during the siege of Petersburg.