Homemade Tiger Nut Horchata
Introduction
The tiger nut horchata is a milky drink very typical of Valencia made from this small tuber, which is consumed very cold and, especially, in the summer months.
According to the legend, the name of 'orxata' ('horchata' in Catalan), would come from the phrase that the King of Aragón Jaime I would have exclaimed after having tasted it for the first time, since it is said that when asking for the name of so rich drink, when the young woman who served it, told him that it was tigernut milk, he would have exclaimed: "això is not llet, això és or, xata!" (this is not milk, this is gold, flat! ).
What we do know with certainty is that the tiger nut is a tuber with multiple associated benefits that was already highly valued in Ancient Egypt, where they have been found in the tombs of the pharaohs as part of the funeral trousseau.
The tigernuts did not arrive in Valencia until the 8th century, when the Arabs introduced them to the Valencian town of Alboraya from Chuf (Sudan), considering that the climate of the area was optimal for planting.
The etymological origin of the word 'horchata' comes from 'hordeum', a term in classical Latin with what is called barley, and more specifically, 'hordeata'. And it is very likely that, initially, this drink was obtained from macerating barley, hence there are horchatas made from ingredients as diverse as oats, rice and sesame, among others.
Unlike the horchatas that are usually marketed, this horchata meets the canons of the original recipe, it is 100% tigernuts, it is made with only 3 ingredients and is completely vegetable, so it is free of lactose, casein and fats saturated harmful, and therefore much healthier, and richer and more sophisticated taste.
All this, together with its sweet flavor and a delicate aroma of unmistakable and delicious tigernut, makes it a drink of optimum quality, ideal to take in breakfast or snack and, especially, to accompany with some tender and irresistible Valencian fartons .
As for its nutrients, thanks to the tiger nut, the horchata is rich in carbohydrates , fiber , oleic acid omega 9 , amino acids , vitamins E and C , calcium , phosphorus , iron , magnesium , potassium and zinc .
Below you can see what ingredients you need and the steps to follow to make the most popular, refreshing and delicious drink in the Valencian Community.
Ingredients
default
- 250 gr. chufa
- 1 l. water (cold)
- 75 gr. whole cane sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Wash the tigernuts and soak them for 12 hours, changing the water a couple of times.
Step 2
Wash and drain the tiger nuts, put them in the glass of the blender with 1/4 of the total water and beat well until you get a homogeneous mixture and as liquid as possible.
Step 3
Over a large bowl, strain the horchata with a cloth of fine cloth to separate the remains of tigernut from the liquid, squeezing with your hands as much as possible. Add the rest of the water and the sugar and beat again so that the ingredients are well integrated. Once we have the horchata ready, we serve it very cold.
