Editing Kudzu (section)

===Food===
[[Kuzuko|The roots]] contain [[starch]], which has traditionally been used as a food ingredient in East and Southeast Asia. In [[Vietnam]], the starch, called ''bột sắn dây'', is flavoured with [[pomelo]] oil and then used as a drink in the summer. In [[Korea]], the plant root is made into [[arrowroot tea|''chikcha'']] (칡차; "arrowroot tea"), used in traditional medicine, and processed starch used for culinary purposes such as primary ingredient for [[naengmyeon]] (칡냉면). In [[Japan]], the plant is known as ''kuzu'' and the starch named ''[[kuzuko]]''. ''Kuzuko'' is used in dishes including ''[[kuzumochi]], mizu [[manjū]]'', and ''[[kuzuyu]]''. It also serves as a thickener for sauces, and can be a substitute for cornstarch.<ref name="ShurtleffAoyagi1977">{{cite book|last1=Shurtleff|first1=William|last2=Aoyagi|first2=Akiko|title=The Book of Kudzu: A Culinary & Healing Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jSQzR6_h9yEC|year=1977|publisher=Soyinfo Center|isbn=978-0-394-42068-4|page=9}}</ref>
[[File:2010 Kuzumochi(Kudzu starch cake) by Sanda-Minoya.jpg|alt=a translucent jelly with black soybeans visible inside|thumb|''[[Kuzumochi]]'', a Japanese pudding]]
The flowers are used to make a [[Fruit preserves|jelly]] that tastes similar to grape jelly.<ref name="Burney" /><ref name="connoisseur">{{cite book |last1=Marchese |first1=C. Marina |title=The Honey Connoisseur |last2=Flottum |first2=Kim |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal |year=2013 |isbn=9781603763325 |pages=84–85}}</ref><!-- pg 84 --> Roots, flowers, and leaves of kudzu show antioxidant activity that suggests food uses.<ref name="Burney">{{cite web|url=http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-03292010-130857/|title=Determination of antioxidant and total phenolic content of ''Pueraria lobata'' and evaluation of novel food products containing kudzu|author=Sandra Lynn Burney|year=2010|publisher=Mississippi State University|access-date=28 November 2011|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616034230/http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-03292010-130857/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nearby bee colonies may forage on kudzu nectar during droughts as a last resort, producing a low-viscosity red or purple [[honey]] that tastes of grape jelly or [[Bubble gum|bubblegum]].<ref name="connoisseur" /><!-- pg 85 -->