Sago v. Tapioca What’s the difference between sago and tapioca, and where do they come from? Some people I’ve talked to haven’t heard of either, and those that have often think both come from the fruit of a sago palm. It’s not helped by some packets of dried sago saying they are both sago and tapioca. So for anyone who likes lemon or chocolate sago, like me, I thought I better find out. It turns out they have quite different botanical origins, although the final product is pretty similar. ‘Sago’ is from the pith, or middle part, of the trunk of a Sago Palm ( Metroxylon sagu ) or similar species of palm such as Metroxylon warburgii , which we used to have growing in our Tropical Centre (it needs full tropical conditions). The trunk of some cycads such as Cycas circinalis are also used for what is called ‘sago’. The Sago Palm dies after flowering, but produces new trunks from the base. To get sago, the palms are chopped down after 10-15 years (just before they...