Maybe..... if Consuming Tigernuts/ Chufa!
Raw Tigernuts, Processed Tigernuts, Tigernut Oil, Tigernut Flour and Horchata
Up until a few weeks ago I was not aware of a nut called "tiger"! However, while browsing around the health section of one of the major supermarkets on the island, I was intrigued by an organic, non-dairy drink made from chufa, the Spanish equivalent for the tigernut.
I bought it, I tasted it, I liked it. I then scoured the internet to gather some information about this "nut" - which in fact is not a nut at all - to bring you an article, which I hope you'll find interesting.
The tigernut - Cyperus sculentus lativum - or chufa is really a small tuber. It seems to have been used as a food-stuff for a long time - all of 4000 years - and comes in several sizes. It seems that the tigernut was introduced to Spain by the Arabs who brought it from Egypt. Its cultivation requires sandy soil and a mild climate. The geographical position of Valencia, situated on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, makes it the ideal location for producing the highest quality tigernuts. I wonder whether tigernuts were ever cultivated in Malta, considering that we were under Spanish rule for so many years in the past?
Tigernuts have long been recognized for their health benefits. They are high in fibre, proteins, and natural sugars and are very healthy. They are said to help in preventing thrombosis and activate blood circulation, thus preventing heart attacks. Eating them is also said be helpful in preventing cancer and lately some investigators discovered that they reduce the risk for developing, namely, colon cancer, probably because of their high fibre content.
Tigernuts are rich in starch, fats, sugars and proteins and also packed with minerals such as phosphorous, potassium and vitamins E and C. Vitamin E plays a role in the formation and functioning of the red blood cells, muscles and other tissues, and is thought to have a preventative effect against cardiovascular diseases and cancer. On the other hand, Vitamin C encourages the absorption of iron while helping maintain vitamin E levels. Vitamin C is indispensable for a healthy immune system and for the healthy preservation the tissues.
Tigernuts are naturally gluten and cholesterol-free, and have a very low sodium content. This, combined with their high fiber content, makes them ideal fro consumption by hypertensives, children, the elderly and those suffering from hypercholesterolaemia.
The very high fibre content, combined with a delicious taste, make tigernuts and ideal healthy snack food, but they can also be consumed in many different forms. Horchata is one of the better known one. It is an extremely popular drink on the Mediterranean coast. Horchata (and please note how similar it sounds to our orżata or ruġġata) is the drink which I bought from the supermarket. Often the etymology of a word will help to dispel mystery regarding its origin. In this case it does not. According to Raymond Sokolov, in his interesting article "Barley's Ghost", (Natural History Magazine), the word horchata' derives from the Latin hordeum, meaning 'barley'. "In Spain the most venerable of grain drinks, barley tea or barley water, survives only as the name of a popular beverage calledhorchata," Sokolov says. We may deduce, from Sokolov's valuable research, that a drink made from barley, common to the Roman world and its satellites, was eventually modified in Spain by substituting the locally grown chufa for barley, but retaining the root word hordeum in the name. (Emily Kaufman - The History of Horchata).
One legend, however, links the origins of the name to King Jaume I, who after being given the drink for the first time by a local young girl in Alboraya, was said to have exclaimed "Això és or, xata!" ("That's gold, darling!").
Horchata has a nice taste, yet it is not that sweet. In its unsweetened form, it may be suitable for diabetics since it contains natural sugars, but should (obviously) be drunk in moderation in such cases. Other derivates of tigernuts are a gold-coloured oil and a gluten-free flour which would be useful for use in coeliac disease and can be seen in the picture above, although I do not think that these products are yet available in Malta.
For further information have a look at:
www.tigernuts.com
www.ecomil.com
www.ibizaa.z.com
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