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Tiger nuts, otherwise known as chufa sedge, nut grass, yellow nutsedge, tiger nut sedge, or earth almond are confusingly absolutely nothing to do with tigers ... or nuts for that matter, but they are a superfood worth exploring in 2017, and have been appeared on menus from top chefs like Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz in Spain.
What is a Tiger Nut?
A tiger nut is in fact a small nutritiously dense plant tuber (Cyperus esculentus, of the family Cyperaceae) from the yellow nutsedge and grows in both Spain and Africa where it is harvested from the ground, much like potatoes.
Sweet and Citrusy
Reminiscent of both hazelnut and almond the sweet and citrusy notes of tiger nuts make them delicious to eat as well as being rich in oleic acid (a monounsaturated fatty acid with beneficial properties), fiber, minerals, proteins, unsaturated fats and vitamins.
How to Eat Tiger Nuts
Although tiger nuts can be eaten raw, they are softer and easier to chew when they have been rehydrated or boiled in water.
They are perfect enjoyed as a nutritious snack, added to sweet dishes, made into nut milk, added to smoothies, juices and for baking. In raw food recipes, cereals, on salads and in sweet and savoury cooking.
Horchata
In particular, they are used in Spain to make horchata, not to be confused with Mexican “Horchata” is a nonalcoholic beverage of milky appearance derived made of tiger nuts mixed with sugar and water. Find a horchata recipe on SeriousEats.
