On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1165

Wheat Short Good
Corn Short Moderate
Potato Stringy Poor
Tapioca Stringy Poor
Arrowroot Stringy Good
Appearance Flavor
Wheat Opaque Strong
Corn Opaque Strong
Potato Clear Moderate
Tapioca Clear Neutral
Arrowroot Clear Neutral
ArrowrootArrowroot starch as it’s known in
the West is refined from the roots of a West
Indian plant (Maranta arundinacea).
Arrowroot starch has smaller granules than
potato or tapioca starches, produces a less
stringy consistency, and doesn’t thin out as
much on prolonged cooking. Its gelation


temperature is higher than the other root
starches,moreliketherangeforcornstarch.A
number of other plants and their starches are
also called arrowroot in Asia and Australia
(speciesofTacca,Hutchenia,Canna).
Root Starches in China In China, starch was
originally extracted from millet and water
chestnuts.NowadaysmostChinesesaucesare
thickened with corn, potato, or sweet potato
starch — all plants from the New World.
Other Asian sources of starch are yams,

ginger,lotus,andthetuberofthekudzuvine
(Pueraria).
Modified Starches Food manufacturers have
notbeencontentwiththestarchesavailablein
nature, mainly because the consistency they
create isn’t stable throughout the cycle of
production, distribution, storage, and use by
theconsumer.They’vethereforeengineereda
varietyofstarchesthataremorestable.Plant
breeders have developed so-called “waxy”