SC - cornstarch

[Philip & Susan Troy]

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
> 
> Adamantius, known somewhere as Phil Troy <troy at asan.com> wrote:
> 
> >Christina van Tets wrote:
> >  > Ras asked about documentation for cornstarch.
> <snipetty-snip>
> >"21. Wheat Starch. How to make a year's supply of wheat starch which
> >will keep as long as desired. Take clean wheat around St. john's Day and
> >put it in a vessel; for nine days, put plenty of clean water with the
> >wheat; every day the wheat is to be well washed and the water changed;
> >then grind it thoroughly, put back into clean water, and let stand
> >overnight; then strain and place on a cloth in the sun until dry; when
> >it is dry, take it and put it in a clean vessel; keep it as long as you
> >wish, well covered and cut into pieces, etc. [Here, 'etc' must mean 'and
> >grind it for use as needed', rather than 'serve'.]"
> >
> >Translation from Constance Hieatt and Robin Jones, "Two Anglo-Norman
> >Culinary Collections Edited from British Library Manuscripts Additional
> >32085 and Royal 12.C.xii", Speculum v. 61, October 1986 pp 859-882.
> 
> Well, as far as i know, in the US cornstarch is made from maize,
> whereas, as most folks on the list know, the word "corn" used in
> other places can refer to the local primary grain, often but not
> always wheat.
> 
> Of course maize starch is not the only (relatively) colorless
> thickener for cooking, as the recipe above shows. This wheat starch
> is what's called amidon in French, i believe.
> 
> So, where is arrowroot from originally? Was it used anywhere in "period"?

I think it's South American, and probably comes into significant
culinary notice in Europe in the eighteenth century. Other possibilities
include waxy maize, potato starch and tapioca, all of which are also New World.

Adamantius, writing from The New World, Land of Thickeners
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com