1966 WDEC - Arrowroot

Arrowroot is a thickening agent made from the root of maranta arundinacea or of several other tropical plant roots. Apparently, it was the thickening agent of choice in Victorian England, "to suit the delicate tastes and constitutions of the ladies of the time." The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery provides a recipe for a basic arrowroot blancmange; I may give it a go when the weather cools down a bit and I feel like cooking and tasting bland eggless custard just for the historical experience.