Tigernuts also known as Cyperus esculentus is a crop of the sedge family widespread across much of the world. It is found in most of the Western Hemisre, including Southern Europe, West Africa and Madagascar, as well as the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.Nutritional ValueTiger Nuts are rich in starch, fat, sugar and protein. They are also high in vitamins E and C, as well as srus and potassium. They are 20-36% oil; this oil is 18% saturated fat and 82% unsaturated fat, similar to the fat composition of olives.ApplicationsTiger Nuts can be consumed raw, roasted, dried, baked, juiced as a drink, or processed into oil. Both the Spanish and Nigerians use Tiger Nuts to make a sweet milky drink called horchata de chufa in Spain and kunnu aya in Nigeria. Flour is made from roasted, ground Tiger Nuts. Oil made from the fatty tubers has a rich, nutty taste and is compared favorably to olive oil, usable for both salads and frying. Industrial uses for Tiger Nuts include ingredients in soaps and as animal feed.Ethnic/Cultural InfoIn China, as well as Africa and in Ayurvedic medicine, Tiger Nuts are used to treat a wide variety of ailments. In Spain, horchata de chufa, a drink made of Tiger Nuts, is still used as a treatment for diarrhea. Tiger Nuts also boast a high level of antioxidants. It has been suggested that Paranthropus boisei, or the prehistoric “Nutcracker Man”, lived on Tiger Nuts. The tubers have been found in 6,000 year old Egyptian tombs and were an important crop for ancient Egyptians both as a food and as a medicine. Egyptians used them to make beer and sweets, were eaten roasted, and were used in many ways such as fumigations, ointments, and enemas.
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