Arrowroot

Name: Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) — a tropical plant whose starchy rhizomes are ground into a fine, white, flavourless powder, used as a thickener. The plant is also called West Indian arrowroot. The root is rarely eaten fresh in the West, but it is a root crop in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Description

Arrowroot is native to the rainforests of northern South America, and was cultivated by the Arawak people of the Caribbean for thousands of years, and the name is thought to come from the Arawak word aru-aru, meaning “meal of meals.” Another story says it was used to draw poison from arrow wounds. St Vincent and the Grenadines is still a major producer.

The rhizomes are washed, pulped and strained, and the starch is dried into a fine powder. Arrowroot powder thickens sauces, soups and fruit fillings without making them cloudy, and is easy to digest, which made it a traditional food for infants and invalids, and arrowroot biscuits were long used for teething babies.

Main nutrition value

Arrowroot powder is almost pure starch, so it provides energy (carbohydrate) with very little protein, fat or fibre, and is naturally free of gluten.

How best to be consumed

Arrowroot is used as a thickener, and the fresh root is boiled like other starchy roots.

1. Mix a spoonful of powder with cold water, then stir into hot sauces, soups or fruit fillings, and heat gently until clear and thick.
2. Use in place of cornflour, in a gluten-free recipe.
3. Add at the end of cooking, since long boiling and acidic ingredients can thin it.
4. Boil or roast fresh roots in the Caribbean and Pacific, where they are eaten as a starchy vegetable.
5. Avoid it with dairy sauces, which can turn slimy.

Overconsumption could cause…

Arrowroot is safe in food amounts, and a low-nutrient starch.

1. Low nutritional value, since it is mostly starch, so it should not replace more nutritious foods.
2. Constipation or digestive upset from large amounts of the powder.
3. A sticky, slimy texture if overheated or used with dairy.
4. Allergic reactions in rare cases.

GroupsOther Starchy VegetablesRoot VegetablesLow fatLow sodiumRich in folate

Related foodsLotus RootBeetrootParsnipTaroYamCassava / Yuca

Wikipedia — Arrowroot, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowroot