Gum tragacanth is one of the oldest natural gums in the kitchen — a dried sap that seeps in twisted ribbons or flakes from spiny Astragalus shrubs of the Middle East, then is powdered. Odourless and all but tasteless, it swells in water into a thick, clinging paste that thickens, emulsifies and binds. It is the classic gum behind sugar paste, gum paste and pastillage decorations.
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