Arrowroot tea, also called kudzu tea, is a traditional

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

n tea made from

East Asian arrowroot ''Pueraria montana'' var. ''lobata'', the East Asian arrowroot, or kudzu vine, is a perennial plant in the family Fabaceae. Names It is called ''gé'' () in Chinese, in Japanese, and ''chik'' () or ''gal'' () in Korean. Description The J ...

, a type of

kudzu Kudzu (), also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot, is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands. It is invasive species, invasive in ...

Names

Arrowroot tea is called ''gegen-cha'' () in Chinese, ''kuzuyu'' (; ) in Japanese, and ''chikcha'' (), ''galgeun-cha'' (), and ''galbun-cha'' () in Korean.

Preparation

Japan

Kuzuyu (葛湯) is a sweet Japanese

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothie ...

that is made by adding

flour to hot water. It has a thick, honey-like texture, and a pale,

translucent In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through the material without appreciable light scattering by particles, scattering of light. On a macroscopic scale ...

appearance. It is served in a mug or tea bowl. During the winter, Kuzuyu is traditionally served for dessert as a hot drink. In Japanese, ''Kuzu'' (葛) is the word for "

". It is also translated as "arrowroot", although kudzu and

arrowroot Arrowroot is a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock) of several tropical plants, traditionally ''Maranta arundinacea'', but also Florida arrowroot from ''Zamia integrifolia'', and tapioca from cassava (''Manihot esculenta''), which is of ...

are distinct plants. ''Yu'' (湯) means "hot water". In English, the name of the drink is sometimes translated as kudzu starch gruel or arrowroot tea. In order to make Kuzuyu, Kudzu flour is added to hot water and stirred until thick. Kudzu flour, or ''Kuzuko'' (葛粉), is a powder that is made from the dried root of the kudzu plant. Kudzu flour can also be used in East Asian sauces and soups, as it is a powerful

thickening agent A thickening agent or thickener is a substance which can increase the viscosity of a liquid without substantially changing its other properties. Edible thickeners are commonly used to thicken sauces, soups, and puddings without altering their ...

. When added to hot water, it quickly alters the water's texture. Though lacking fragrance and taste in its powder form, the arrowroot takes on a unique sweet flavor when dissolved in the hot water.

Korea

''Chikcha'' () can be made with either sliced

or the starch powder made from the root. ''Chik'' () is the native Korean name of the plant, while ''cha'' () means "tea". Chikcha can also refer to the tea made from

flower. Chikcha made from powdered arrowroot is also called ''galbun-cha'' (). ''Galbun-cha'' is a Sino-Korean name for the drink, formed from ''gal'' (: the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese word for

) and ''bun'' (: the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese word for "flour, powder"). Conversely, chikcha made by boiling the dried roots is called ''galgeun-cha'' (), with ''geun'' () meaning "root". The roots are harvested from late autumn to early spring. They are then washed, peeled, and sun-dried. To make tea, of fresh roots are simmered in of water over low heat, until the water is reduced by two thirds.

Jujube Jujube (UK ; US or ), sometimes jujuba, scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'', and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus '' Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused wit ...

s can also be boiled with the shredded roots if desired. The tea can be served hot or cold. While honey may be added to taste, sugar is not recommended. An alternative tea can be made by ground arrowroot. First, the roots are torn into thin shreds. They are then dried for twenty days in shade, followed by ten days in a hot

ondol (; , ; ) or ''gudeul'' (; ) in Korean traditional architecture is underfloor heating that uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor. In modern usage, it refers to any type of underfloor heating, or ...

room, after which they are ground to a starch powder. Tea is then made by mixing the starch powder with hot water. The gruel-like tea that results can also be combined with

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...

, or cocoa. Similar tea can also be made using starch powder from the scaly bulbs of Asian fawnlily. ''Chikcha'' made from the arrowroot flowers can also be prepared by infusing two dried flowers, preferably picked in August, in of hot water.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Herbal teas Japanese drinks Korean tea Chinese teas

Names

Preparation

Japan

Korea

See also

References