Kuzuyu
Encyclopedia
Kuzuyu is a sweet Japanese beverage produced by adding kudzu
flour to hot water. It has a thick honey-like texture, and in color it appears pale and somewhat translucent. It is served in a mug or tea bowl. Kuzuyu is traditionally served as a hot dessert drink in the winter months.
" also sometimes translated as "arrowroot". (However, kudzu and arrowroot
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.
and 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.
, daidzein
and puerarin
, which may have a positive effect on headaches. A variation of Kuzuyu called kakkontō
(葛根湯), which may also include cinnamon, is used as a remedy for hangovers in traditional Chinese medicine where kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs.
Kudzu
Kudzu is a plant in the genus Pueraria in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and southeast China. Its name comes from the Japanese name for the plant, . It is a weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so...
flour to hot water. It has a thick honey-like texture, and in color it appears pale and somewhat translucent. It is served in a mug or tea bowl. Kuzuyu is traditionally served as a hot dessert drink in the winter months.
Name
In Japanese, Kuzu (葛) is the word for "kudzuKudzu
Kudzu is a plant in the genus Pueraria in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and southeast China. Its name comes from the Japanese name for the plant, . It is a weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so...
" also sometimes translated as "arrowroot". (However, kudzu and arrowroot
Arrowroot
Arrowroot, or obedience plant , Bermuda arrowroot, araru, ararao, is a large perennial herb found in rainforest habitats...
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.
Composition
Kudzu flour, or Kuzuko (葛粉), a powder ground from the dried root of the kudzu plant, is mixed into hot water and stirred until thick to produce Kuzuyu. Kudzu flour, sometimes also used in Asian sauces and soups, is a powerful thickening agentThickening agent
Thickening agents, or thickeners, is the term applied to substances which increase the viscosity of a solution or liquid/solid mixture without substantially modifying its other properties; although most frequently applied to foods where the target property is taste, the term also is applicable to...
and 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.
Nutrition
Kudzu contains a small number of useful isoflavones called daidzinDaidzin
Daidzin is a natural organic compound in the class of phytochemicals known as isoflavones. Daidzin can be found in Japanese plant Kudzu and from soybean leaves.Daidzin is the 7-O-glucoside of daidzein....
, daidzein
Daidzein
Daidzein belongs to the group of isoflavones. Daidzein and other isoflavone compounds, such as genistein, are present in a number of plants and herbs like the Thai Kwao Krua or Pueraria mirifica, Kudzu or Pueraria lobata, and in food sources such as soybeans and soy products like tofu and textured...
and puerarin
Puerarin
Puerarin is one of several known isoflavones. Puerarin is found in a number of plants and herbs like the root of Pueraria notably of the kudzu plant.Puerarin is the 8-C-glucoside of daidzein....
, which may have a positive effect on headaches. A variation of Kuzuyu called kakkontō
Kakkonto
Kakkonto is an herbal drink with its origin in traditional Chinese medicine. It is made from a mixture of ginger, cinnamon, Chinese peony, licorice, jujube, ephedra, and powder ground from the root of the kudzu plant, one of the 50 fundamental herbs...
(葛根湯), which may also include cinnamon, is used as a remedy for hangovers in traditional Chinese medicine where kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs.