Arrowroot Powder: A West Indies Secret!

Arrowroot powder is a wonderful helper found in your grocer's aisle usually beside flour, corn starch and cornbread mix. Cooks have used arrowroot powder for a variety of reasons, as well as beauty practitioners and herbalists of the ages. Arrowroot powder is a very interesting substance and here's a few things you should know along with ways that arrowroot can help you out in the kitchen … any day of the week!

What is Arrowroot?

Arrowroot is a white powder starch that feels and looks like cornstarch, it's extracted from the root of a tropical West Indies plant called Marantha Arundinacea that's currently grown in Thailand and Brazil. Arrowroot has no identifying scent or taste either!

History of Arrowroot

Because arrowroot is a product of the West Indies, arrowroot has a rich history in the culture and it's said that it's very name was derived from the indigenous tribe of the Arawaks.

Historians say that the Arawak people used arrowroot powder to draw out poisonous toxins from those wounded by the tip of poisoned arrows. Arrowroot has been used for cooking, medicinally and even as an additive to health, beauty and skin care products … even today.

Use Arrowroot Powder in Your Home

Arrowroot powder maintains it's place in the kitchen to thicken soups, broths, pastry glazes, pudding, pie filling, countless sauces and low temperature recipes that cannot be boiled such as those that use eggs. It also prevents ice crystals from forming on delicious homemade ice cream in the freezer.

Health is on the minds of many these days and arrowroot powder is often used in place of flour to coat poultry and seafood, providing a good coating that's comparable. Seasonings can be mixed in just the same as they can be with flour.

Substitute Arrowroot in Your Kitchen

Substituting is simple. To replace flour, simply use the same amount of arrowroot powder or to replace cornstarch just add a little, for example, if your recipe calls for one tablespoon of cornstarch then use two tablespoons of arrowroot powder.

Thickening is a synch too. Always add arrowroot powder to cool mixtures mixing them in and then adding the hot liquid, as soon as the liquid begins to thicken remove from heat to prevent reversal because just as quick as it thickens … it can become thin again. The obvious benefit is that arrowroot powder works quickly.

Medicinal Uses of Arrowroot

Arrowroot has been used by people experiencing digestive problems, upset stomach and bowel issues as well as infants converting from a liquid diet to a solid routine because of the filling factor in the stomach. It's also used to prevent infection and itching in skin wounds or conditions, historically it's said to aid in the prevention of furthering gangrene too.

Arrowroot is known in the West Indies as a nourishing component that has been used by the inhabitants throughout the ages, later traveling to the Western world along with other spices considered valuable in particular eras of history. It's also used in body powders and make-up today.

Make the Change

Arrowroot powder has been a great alternative in the kitchens of many cooks; why not give arrowroot a place in your kitchen! You'll feel great using natural ingredients that are safe for your family and using arrowroot may even benefit your health too. It's a wonderful little secret shared by our friendly neighbors of the West Indies.