General Description
Arrowroot is a white powder extracted from the root of a West Indian plant, Marantha arundinacea. It looks and feels like cornstarch.
Geographical Sources
Arrowroot is grown in Brazil and Thailand.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Arrowroot is used as a thinking agent for sauces, fruit pie fillings and glazes, and puddings.
Taste and Aroma
Arrowroot has no flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Arrowroot is indigenous to the West Indies, where native people, the Arawaks, used the powder. The Arawaks used the substance to draw out toxins from people wounded by poison arrows. Its name is thought to be derived from that practice.
