ARROWROOT

Lately a new gluten free food has appeared on the scene and with a name like that, at Baci di Dama we got quite curious about it.

Elisa, our nutritionist, tells us what it is all about.

The arrowroot is so called because in ancient times it was used as an antidote against the poison in enemies’ arrows.

Today it is still used to neutralize the poison of some spiders and scorpions.

Food is our first medicine after all and it can act like one.

The arrowroot is a starch that comes from some tropical plants, in particular from the Maranta arundinaceae, a plant that we can find in Brazil or in Guyana.

It’s a rhizome like potatoes, people extract a refined, white powder from it that has neither particular taste nor smell. The glycemic index is not too high. It is used to cook both savoury and sweet foods.

As any starch, it improves the consistency of the food we make whether biscuits, pudding, gel or sauces.

The arrowroot acts like a natural thickener.

We need very little like; in general it’s 1 coffee spoon for 1 litre of water and we need to be careful not to heat it too much otherwise it looses its properties.

The arrow root is important not only when we cook but also for our health: recent studies have shown that it helps regulate the movement of our intestine and it can sooth colitis; it is very easy to digest and it’s a good source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium.

It is not a cereal so it is naturally gluten free but if we buy it as a powder we have to be careful to see if there is the “gluten free certification” on the label to avoid any risk of cross contamination with gluten.

So…shall we try it ;)?!!?

Photo Credits: http://www.thepaleomom.com/arrowroot-powder/