Gum Arabic

[TylerK]

I recently and accidentally bought a small jar of gum arabic when I was trying to pick up some citric acid powder. I'm not sure if this is the right place to post my question, but since I do desserts and confections more than anything else I figured I'd post it here.

What can I do with the stuff? Is it a reliable substitute for other gelling agents like gelatin, pectin or agar? If so, is there a conversion ratio between them? There seems to be very little information on the web.

If anyone could point me to a recipe, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Lisa Shock]

It's used to make gomme syrup for cocktails, I like it as a general sweetening syrup for cold non-alcoholic drinks, too. It can be used to thicken royal icing, and, some people use it as a substitute for gum tragacanth in making gumpaste for sugar flowers, etc. but, the texture is not as good.

It is occasionally used in commercial ices creams. A few candies use it as well.

[Tri2Cook]

You can use it to varnish your nuts. Makes 'em shiny and protects them without changing the flavor.

[Kerry Beal]

Along with making your nuts shiny - which is what I use it for most - you can use it to make the gomme syrup mentioned above. You can dip grapes or clusters of red currents in it - then roll in sugar to make a decoration for the top of a dessert.

[heidih]

Here is a link to an eGullet topic on using it in drinks

And here is a topic about using it to coat nuts

[djyee100]

Check out recipes for Middle Eastern sweets. When I googled around, this webpage had some Lebanese desserts containing gum arabic.

http://www.habeeb.com/Lebanese-food/Lebanese-recipes.12.html

If you can find a copy of Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, there's a recipe for "The Snake," or M'hanncha, a coiled up pastry cake of phyllo dough and almond paste, with a little gum arabic in it. Chicken with Onions (Djej Bisla) has a pinch of gum arabic as a mystery ingredient.

[TylerK]

Thanks for all the replies. It is much appreciated, and I will definitely read through those threads.

It was mentioned by Lisa in the first reply that it can be used for candies. Do you have any more information around that?

[Snadra]

We just watched an episode of The Victorian Pharmacy tonight and it turns out you can also use it to make photographic transfers.

In case none of the actual food-related suggestions appeal!

[Lisa Shock]

I found this home candymaking book with some recipes. I have never used it in candymaking, I've just seen it in commercial candies as a coating, similar to the nuts referenced above, or in jujubes and such.

[TeakettleSlim]

You can use it to candy flowers (mix with water). Like egg white, but without the salmonella risk. I did some pansies this way once-- the flowers can dry and hold their shape very nicely. They lasted a long while.

[andiesenji]

As noted above, there are several candies popular in the middle east that are made with gum arabic.

A few years ago I posted this recipe for Lakhoum which lists gelatin/agar agar or guar gum and you can substitute gum arabic.

You can use it in any of the "gummi" type candies, substituting it for other thickening agents.

It is used to make vegan marshmallows where neither eggs nor animal-based gelatin is desired.

Detailed instructions for candied flowers.

Years ago I used to buy a lot of it for artwork as it can be used to produce a thick paint from powdered pigments, that retains its shine after drying and it is an excellent base for gold leaf in paintings.

Edited July 21, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[TylerK]

Lisa - Thanks for the link to the cookbook. Very interesting to see recipes from that far back.

andiesenji - What role does the additional gelatin/agar agar/guar gum/gum arabic play in your turkish delight recipe? The other recipes I have seen for this contain only corn starch. When I was young (13ish) my family lived in France for a while and my dad would regularly travel to Greece for work. Every time he returned he'd bring back a pan of freshly made moussaka and a large box of turkish delight, so I have some very fond memories of this candy.

It seems from the cook book link and from reading through the recipe for gomme syrup that a much higher ratio of gum arabic is required compared to other gelling agents. Is this correct? If so, I'm tempted to either try the turkish delight recipe or stick to the gomme syrup.

Thanks again for all the input and advice.

[andiesenji]

The traditional recipe for lakhoum did not contain corn starch because it was not available in the middle east until fairly recent times.

The other gelling agents produce a clearer, more stable candy that is less subject to breakdown in warm conditions.