temperature is higher than the other root
starches, more like the range for cornstarch. A
number of other plants and their starches are
also called arrowroot in Asia and Australia
(species of Tacca, Hutchenia, Canna).
Root Starches in China In China, starch was
originally extracted from millet and water
chestnuts. Nowadays most Chinese sauces are
thickened with corn, potato, or sweet potato
starch — all plants from the New World.
Other Asian sources of starch are yams,
ginger, lotus, and the tuber of the kudzu vine
(Pueraria).
Modified Starches Food manufacturers have
not been content with the starches available in
nature, mainly because the consistency they
create isn’t stable throughout the cycle of
production, distribution, storage, and use by
the consumer. They’ve therefore engineered a
variety of starches that are more stable. Plant
breeders have developed so-called “waxy”