History and Lore

A member of the water-plantain family (Alismataceae), arrowhead is a hardy perennial water or marsh plant of Europe, Asia, and America. The egg-size tuberous root—technically a corm—has a little shoot, smooth, thin beige skin, and a few modest, scaly-layered leaves covering the bottom. Prepared in ways similar to those used for potatoes, it has a bland, slightly sweet taste, though it can have a bitter finish if not cooked properly. Cultivated extensively in China and Japan, it is typically braised, especially with pork, in Chinese cooking, where it is known as cigu, and is a favorite New Year’s food in Japan, where it is called kuwai. Some 80 percent of Japan’s commercial crop is cultivated in the area around Hiroshima.