Did you know tomorrow, May 29th, is World Tiger Nut Day?
We thought we’d share with you some fun facts about this little-known nut… starting with the fact it’s not actually a nut at all!
So, what are Tiger Nuts?
Tiger nuts are actually tubers, like sweet potato, but wrinkly and much smaller in size – close to the size of a chickpea. They get their name from the stripes on their exterior. They are quite chewy and taste mild, subtly sweet and nutty.
At RealFoodSource we sell:
Organic Tiger Nuts 1kg @ £6.99 (on sale at £5.49)
Organic Peeled Tiger Nuts 1kg @ £8.99 (on sale at £7.49)
Organic Tiger Nut Flour 1kg @ £8.49 (on sale at £6.49)
Grab the discounts for the next week!
10 fun facts about Tiger Nuts…
- Tiger Nuts are also known as Chufa or Earth Almonds 🙂
- Ideal for nut allergy sufferers since they are not nuts!
- The earliest records of their use dates back to Neolithic Egypt. From there, its cultivation eventually spread to North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
- The Spanish have been using it to make ‘horchata’ tiger nut milk (see recipe below) since the 18th century.
- You can eat them raw, roasted, soaked or boiled. They also come whole, shelled, as flour, as oil, or as tiger nut milk which is creamy and subtly sweet.
- There are three main varieties – black, brown and yellow – yellow is most popular as it’s bigger, produces more milk and has more protein.
- They are gluten-free and high in insoluble ‘pre-biotic’ fibre which helps keeps digestion running smoothly. One ounce contains about ten grams of fibre.
- Tiger Nuts provide a number of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc, Iron, and vitamins E, C, and folic acid.
- Tiger nuts have a history of being used to boost libido and they are used as aphrodisiacs in Ayurvedic medicine!
- You can make lots of recipes with them… see the link to our FREE Tiger Nut Ebook for recipe ideas and celebrate World Tiger Nut Day by trying something new tomorrow.
Head to the shop to grab your Tiger Nuts…
Organic Tiger Nuts 1kg @ £6.99 (on sale at £5.49)
Organic Peeled Tiger Nuts 1kg @ £8.99 (on sale at £7.49)
Organic Tiger Nut Flour 1kg @ £8.49 (on sale at £6.49)
Grab the discounts for the next week! (sale ends Friday 4th June)
Download your FREE Tiger Nuts Recipe Ebook
You’ll find lots more recipes in the Ebook, but here’s an easy recipe for homemade Tiger Nut Milk (aka Spanish Horchata)
Tiger nut milk is healthy and nutritious and you can easily make it at home.
Pre-soak your tiger nuts in water for 24 hours (it take a while to fully soak for creamy milk) then blend using 3-4 cups of water for 1 cup of tiger nuts. Strain the milk through a nut milk bag or fine cheesecloth then pour into a bottle.
The milk will keep in the fridge for up to three days, shake well before using. Serve hot or cold.
For extra flavour and taste, add a vanilla bean or a little cinnamon to the blend.
The leftover pulp from milk making can be dehydrated and used as flour, or used wet as part of the flour mix in cookies, loaves or bars.
