Meaning
A starchy root ground into a fine, easily-digested powder used to thicken porridges, puddings, and sauces, and long given as a gentle, soothing food for babies and the sick. A traditional Caribbean starch, prized for being light and settling on a delicate or upset stomach, arrowroot was a staple of the sickroom and the nursery, cooked into a smooth, mild pap for those who could take little else. It belongs to the old household knowledge of feeding and healing, the soft, restoring food reached for when the body is weak.
Examples
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Granny mek arrowroot porridge fi di sick baby.
Granny made arrowroot porridge for the sick baby.
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Use arrowroot fi thick up di pudding.
Use arrowroot to thicken the pudding.
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Arrowroot easy pon di belly.
Arrowroot is gentle on the stomach.
Origin
The arrowroot plant (Maranta), a Caribbean/Amerindian starch; the name may relate to its use on arrow wounds or from an Arawak word.
How it’s used
A fine starch used to thicken and as an invalid/baby food; valued as gentle on the stomach.