arrowroot the common western name for a starch which is usually made from the swollen roots of Maranta arundinacea. This plant, originally native to the W. Indies and S. America, is now widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific islands. The name is also loosely applied to miscellaneous starchy roots grown in many other parts of the world.
True W. Indian arrowroot can be eaten whole, boiled or roasted; but it is fibrous, and better when reduced to a starch by pulverizing and washing the roots. There are two varieties, red and white, of which the first is considered superior.
