Arrowroot tea

Arrowroot tea
Type	Herbal tea
Other names	Chikcha galbun-cha galgeun-cha kuzu-yu gegen-cha
Origin	East Asia
Quick description	Tea made from East Asian arrowroot
Temperature	100 °C (212 °F)

Arrowroot tea,^[1] also called kudzu tea,^[2] is a traditional East Asian tea made from East Asian arrowroot,^[3] a type of kudzu.

Arrowroot tea is called gegen-cha (葛根茶) in Chinese, kuzuyu (葛湯; くずゆ) in Japanese, and chikcha (칡차), galgeun-cha (갈근차; 葛根茶), and galbun-cha (갈분차; 葛粉茶) in Korean.

Kuzuyu (葛湯) is a sweet Japanese beverage that is made by adding kudzu flour to hot water. It has a thick, honey-like texture, and a pale, translucent appearance.^[4] 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 "kudzu". It is also translated as "arrowroot",^[5] although kudzu and arrowroot are distinct plants. Yu (湯) means "hot water".^[6][7] In English, the name of the drink is sometimes translated as kudzu starch gruel^[8][7][9] 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.^[10] 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.

Chikcha (칡차; "arrowroot tea") can be made with either sliced East Asian arrowroot or the starch powder made from the root.^[1][11] Chik (칡) is the native Korean name of the plant, while cha (차; 茶) means "tea". Chikcha can also refer to the tea made from arrowroot flower.^[12] Chikcha made from powdered arrowroot is also called galbun-cha (갈분차; 葛粉茶). Galbun-cha is a Sino-Korean name for the drink, formed from gal (갈, 葛: the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese word for kudzu) and bun (분, 粉: the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese word for "flour, powder").^[13] Conversely, chikcha made by boiling the dried roots is called galgeun-cha (갈근차; 葛根茶), with geun (근; 根) meaning "root".^[14]

The roots are harvested from late autumn to early spring. They are then washed, peeled, and sun-dried.^[12] To make tea, 15–20 g (0.53–0.71 oz) of fresh roots are simmered in 600 ml (21 imp fl oz; 20 US fl oz) of water over low heat, until the water is reduced by two thirds.^[11][12] Jujubes can also be boiled with the shredded roots if desired.^[11] The tea can be served hot or cold. While honey may be added to taste, sugar is not recommended.^[12]

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 room, after which they are ground to a starch powder.^[12] Tea is then made by mixing the starch powder with hot water.^[13] The gruel-like tea that results can also be combined with sugar, milk, green tea, or cocoa.^[11][13] Similar tea can also be made using starch powder from the scaly bulbs of Asian fawnlily.^[13]

Chikcha made from the arrowroot flowers can also be prepared by infusing two dried flowers, preferably picked in August, in 600 ml (21 imp fl oz; 20 US fl oz) of hot water.^[12]

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