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Arrowroot

Arrowroot was introduced into European culture by some of the early European settlers of the New World, who learned of it from the Arawak, the people who lived in the Caribbean Islands (and who still live in remote areas of Guiana, a region of mainland South America due north of Brazil). The Arawak named the plant aru-aru, which meant literally "meal of meals," indicating how highly they valued the starchy food made from the arrowroot tubers. The Arawak also used arrowroot tubers to draw poison from wounds inflicted by poisoned arrows, which is where the name "arrowroot" apparently came from in English, first recorded in 1696.

(Side note: Now that you know one word of Arawak, here's another: "iwana" -- what we now call an "iguana". So now you can say "Hey! Who dumped all this aru-aru on my pet iwana, Eric?")

Arrowroot is not used for flavoring, but rather for thickening sauces. We've included a description of it here because it's normally found in the spice rack at the supermarket, and because it fits the same criteria as do herbs and spices: a little is generally all it takes.

Arrowroot should only be used at the very end of cooking, since unlike other thickeners (such as corn starch or tapioca) it will break down after about 10 minutes -- which means that your nice thick sauce will become un-thick. Also, it doesn't thicken up again if re-heated.

The main advantages of arrowroot are that it makes very delicate sauces, and that it thickens at a lower temperature than corn starch -- so it's especially good for dairy or egg-based sauces that might curdle if cooked at too high a temperature.

Use about 2.5 teaspoons of arrowroot powder per cup of liquid.

Recipes: