Primitive Technology: Polynesian Arrowroot Flour
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Published 2019-05-31
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About This Video:
I gathered polynesian arrowroot, grated it, extracted and dried the starch and cooked it into gelatinous, pancake shaped food that tasted like rice noodles. Polynesian arrow root is a plant in the same family as yams but with a different growth habit. It has a single, branching leaf and a single tuber below ground. They were brought to Australia about 5000 years ago as one of the "canoe" plants carried by Polynesian seafarers and grow wild in the hills near my hut to this day. The tubers are rich in starch but have a bitter compound that needs to be leached out with water to be made edible. This same compound is traditionally a medicine in small quantities for treating a range of illnesses from gastrointestinal upset to snake bite. I dug up the tubers which took about 3 minutes to do per plant, yielding one golf ball sized tuber each. These were then washed and grated into a pot using a roof tile. The resulting mash was mixed with water and allowed to settle. The white milky water was then scooped into a second pot and the starch was allowed to settle. The water was then poured off and more starch water was tipped in. At this stage the starch was still bitter, so it was mixed with water, allowed to settle and the clear water above was poured off several times removing this bitterness. When it tasted good, the paste was put onto a tile to dry over a fire. Some of it cooked and became small rubbery pieces of starch. The dry flour was stored in a pot. Some of this was then mixed into a paste and cooked on a tile like a pancake. It turned clear when cooked and has a rubbery texture. It tasted just like a rice noodle which is unsurprising considering the ingredients are nearly the same. Starch is the largest carbohydrate in the human diet. Polynesian arrowroot starch contains 346 calories per 100 g (wheat contains 329) and so the discovery of this staple food is fairly significant. It can be stored indefinitely if kept dry and away from weevils or can be stored as live tubers for six months (then they begin to sprout and should be planted). The live tubers bitterness means animals will not eat them which is good for storage. I may cultivate some in a small plot in the hills near where I dug them up. They are numerous in the wild but may produce more if the soil is tilled.
About Primitive Technology:
Primitive technology is a hobby where you build things in the wild completely from scratch using no modern tools or materials. These are the strict rules: If you want a fire, use a fire stick - An axe, pick up a stone and shape it - A hut, build one from trees, mud, rocks etc. The challenge is seeing how far you can go without utilizing modern technology. I do not live in the wild, but enjoy building shelter, tools, and more, only utilizing natural materials. To find specific videos, visit my playlist tab for building videos focused on pyrotechnology, shelter, weapons, food & agriculture, tools & machines, and weaving & fiber.
All Comments (21)
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I saw Ray Mears do pretty much the same thing but with roasted, ground acorns. He left them in a mosquito net in a stream to wash out the tannin.
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I never truly understood why the invention of pottery was such a big deal till this channel.
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"Improving mood almost immediately" Stoic ----> Stoic but brighter
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The most impressive part of his creations is that even though he uses the resources for his own survival, he still respects nature and replants the plants to grow once again.
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That’s very similar to the cold water processing of Oak Tree acorns here in the US, long tedious process, but can come out quite good for flour. It won’t make that gelatinous mass once cooked however, more like a saltine cracker, or it can be used as regular flour to make tortillas and bread. Thanks John
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2:32 "Ptu" That will be closest we will ever get to hearing his voice.
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This upload gives energy, improving mood almost immediately.
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I don't know why, but this one in particular made me genuinely happy. I think it's the simple joy in making something completely from scratch. Question: Do you plan on making anything more complicated, like bread?
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when civilization crumbles, I take solace in knowing we'll still have tapiocas
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“Improving mood almost immediately” faces makes the same emotion
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Everyone sees Primitive Technology's mood lift from stoicism to steadfast impassiveness. -
Can't wait until I get your book. Already on the pre-order list. You blow my mind. In about 4 years you have almost 9.7 million subscribers...without a word you have ruled! I wonder if you have set any records. I have no idea, but you are definitely one of the best. Thanks for what you do. Keep it up!
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In Brazil we do the same with cassava/mandioca/macaxeira/maniva (the same plant), exactly the same. This sort of thing makes me believe that us have a common past shared with the peoples of the Pacific Ocean. This is beautiful
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This is my favorite primitive channel because it's the original guy who started this
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Oh hell yeah, we just hit the Pancake Age
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Man sounds like a computer: "Improving mood almost immediately".
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This is the only primitive technology channel i trusted because any other channel is just speed up the video so the man looks strong & survive look fast & easy
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This fella is the original gangster of primitive technology
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This video improved my mood almost instantly.
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Very interesting video. I tried it myself, and that is very time consuming work, but the result was worth it. Definitely better when done in large batches. Thanks.
