Arrowroot powder - vegan, easily digestible, low in calories and neutral in taste
Arrowroot flour, also known as maranta starch, is naturally gluten-free and has good binding properties. Arrowroot powder is obtained from the arrowroot plant, a tropical tuberous plant. It can be used in a variety of ways in fine cuisine. The special, purely plant-based and vegan flour has a neutral taste as a baking alternative and can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Starch from maize, potatoes or wheat can be 100% replaced by arrowroot flour in fine cuisine. As a natural binding agent, it is particularly useful in delicious desserts, jellies, soups, sauces and creams. The taste of the other ingredients is not altered by adding arrowroot flour, and the clarity of the individual foods is not or only slightly affected. Some users particularly appreciate its property as an egg substitute and the fact that arrowroot flour does not need to be cooked to develop its full binding capacity. It is therefore also particularly suitable for preparing glazes or other ingredients that only need to be slightly heated but not cooked.
The vegan and versatile binding agent
The full thickening capacity is already achieved at a temperature of around 65 °C. The starch from arrowroot can also be used to make various types of bread or pastries quite easily. Arrowroot is first gently dried and then finely ground. The purely vegetable flour obtained in this way can then be used immediately. During processing, arrowroot flour neither clouds nor discolors in any way, so it remains completely clear. Due to these properties and because it is 100% vegan, this special starch flour is also a perfect substitute for animal gelatine. Extracts from arrowroot have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.
The arrowroot plant is cultivated to meet the increasing demand
Maranta arundinacea, the botanical name of arrowroot, is a herbaceous and rather undemanding plant. The leaves of the arrowroot plant have a rounded to elongated shape and can grow from around 8 to over 60 cm long. The aesthetic pattern of the leaves is also striking. The rhizome of the arrowroot plant regularly contains more than 20 % starch. The tuber is therefore very valuable from a nutritional point of view. The arrowroot grows exclusively in subtropical and tropical countries. It is assumed that its original home is in the US state of Florida, but today the useful plant is cultivated in various growing regions around the world to obtain the starch powder. Australia, South Africa, Thailand, but also Jamaica and Brazil cultivate arrowroot plants on large-scale territories.
The effect of arrowroot poisons was mitigated by the use of the starch powder
The German-language name arrowroot can be explained by the specific use of the plant by the Arawak people. This so-called indigenous South American people made flour from the rhizome, which clearly had the property of extracting dangerous arrow poison from wounds. The plant was mentioned in English literature as early as 1696 under the name Arrow Root. For successful cultivation, however, arrowroot not only requires tropical temperatures, but also a considerable and continuous supply of water. The plant is ready for harvest when the root system is very pronounced, thick and elongated. For large-scale harvesting, the tubers are pulled out of the ground by hand, but with the aid of special harvesting machines. After thorough cleaning with clear water, the tubers are gently dried and then processed into fine starch powder without any further additives.
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