If you are wicked and want to gross out your little brother, you say they are frog spawn or fly's eyes.

If you are a dedicated parent wishing to introduce your dear children to a long-neglected pudding, you tell them that the roots of the cassava or manioc plant can be processed in several ways. When the starch is heated, the grains burst into small, odd-shaped pieces. When all the moisture is removed by baking, the resulting pieces are known as flake tapioca. When the flakes are ground, they are known as tapioca flour or cassava flour.

While the starch is still moist, though, it can be forced through a sieve, which produces the little balls, which most people call pearl tapioca.