Tiger nuts have been valued for their nutritious content since they were first cultivated. They dissolve on the tongue after a few seconds of chewing and leave behind an almond-like flavor when consumed uncooked. Tiger nuts can be ground into flour, dried, rehydrated, fried, or turned into a beverage. Tiger nut beverages, which are free of dairy and gluten and fit into vegan diets, are becoming increasingly popular in Nigeria.
You would think tiger nuts were nuts if you scooped a few and rolled them in your palm. However, you might start to notice that a unit resembles a small, shrunken tuber if you brought it up to your face and zoomed in on its features. The reason for this could be because tiger nuts are tubers rather than nuts.
An Overview of Tiger Nuts’ Past
Tiger nuts have been around since 2400 BC. Egypt farmed them, and the pyramids preserved them. Tiger nuts have since spread to Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and a few African nations. They are also known as chufa in Spain, where they have gained a lot of notoriety. The main ingredient in horchata de chufa, a well-liked non-alcoholic beverage in several parts of Spain, is chufa.
The plant that produces tiger nuts, Cyperus esculentus, is frequently seen as a weed despite its widespread acceptance. The primary cause of this is the plant’s propensity for invasion. It may be impossible to eradicate the plants once they have taken root in a particular area.
But when you can prepare a cool tiger nut drink, why try to get rid of them? You brew tiger nut drink when life brings you tiger nuts.
Making Tiger Nut Drink
The majority of people in Nigeria refer to the tiger nut beverage as kunu aya, which is its local name. Here’s how to prepare the tasty beverage:
Ingredients:
- One to two cups of fresh or dried tiger nuts
- Four to six cups of water
- Ginger (to add a little spiciness)
- Dates (for sweetness, optional)
- Bananas or coconut shavings are optional but can enhance flavor.
- If dates are not being used, use sugar or honey.
Instructions:
- Soak the tiger nuts: Dried tiger nuts are more common than fresh ones. If your tiger nut drink calls for dried tiger nuts, soak them for at least 24 hours or overnight to soften them. It might only take a few hours to soak fresh tiger nuts.
- Get other ingredients ready: Peel the ginger and put in the dates, if using them, to get rid of the seed. Before shaving, break the coconut into pieces and dehusk it.
- For an added flavor boost and extra health benefits, consider incorporating spices like cloves into your tiger nut drink. Cloves, in particular, are known for their rich antioxidant properties and can complement the natural sweetness of tiger nuts. Learn more about the various applications and advantages of cloves in our detailed guide.
- Mix all the ingredients together. In a blender, combine the ginger, dates, soaked tiger nuts, and other seasonings. Blend until smooth after adding two to three cups of water.
- To remove the pulp from the tiger nut drink, strain it by pouring it through cheesecloth or a fine nut milk bag into a dish and pressing or squeezing to extract as much liquid as you can. To preserve the drink, add a few ice cubes to the bowl before filtering.
- To serve, transfer the tiger nut milk that has been squeezed into a glass or bottle and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Advice: Let the cheesecloth or nut milk bag soak for a few minutes in warm water with salt. This eliminates any odor that can taint the beverage. Using cheesecloth or a fresh milk bag For a complete cleaning, rinse under running water several times. In this manner, you may ensure a glass of tiger nut drink that is both hydrating and nutrient-dense.
Advantages of Tiger Nut Drink for Nutrition
The most common information regarding tiger nuts on the internet, particularly on Nigerian Twitter, is that they have aphrodisiac properties. Nonetheless, studies have found a number of crucial advantages of consuming tiger nut drink. These consist of:
Simple Digestion
There are noticeable amounts of insoluble fiber in tiger nuts. What is the function of this fiber in the body? It facilitates better bowel movements and digestion. Insoluble fiber facilitates faster digestion and promotes gut health since it is easily absorbed by the digestive system.
Tiger nuts may include enzymes that prevent constipation and ease indigestion, depending on their quality. A glass of tiger nut drink’s high fiber content can increase feelings of fullness, which is beneficial for managing portion sizes and weight.
Extra Nutrients
Tiger nuts have been shown to contain antioxidants that lower the body’s chance of developing chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease by scavenging free radicals.
According to a breakdown of the nutrients found in tiger nuts, a glass of tiger nut drink that comprises roughly 50g of tiger nuts has the following:
- 255.4 calories
- 16.1g of fiber
- 33.9g of carbohydrates
- 1.79g of protein
- 12.5g of fat
- 1.8–3.6% of the Daily Value (DV) for iron
- 9.8% to 10.8% of the DV for phosphorus
- 3.5–14.3% of the DV for vitamin C
- DV for magnesium: 12.5%
- 9–12.5% of the DV for zinc
- The DV for potassium is 5.4–9%.
- DV for calcium: 1.8%
It should be noted that the daily value is a general nutrient consumption recommendation based on a diet of 2000 calories.
Source of Vital Vitamins
Tiger nuts are rich in a number of vital elements. Tiger nuts contain vitamin E, which promotes healthy skin, lowers inflammation, and may offer protection from oxidative stress. Both iron and potassium support the circulatory system by facilitating the regulation and movement of oxygen. Just as magnesium promotes bone health, neuron function, and muscle relaxation, potassium also improves muscular function.
Blood sugar levels that are moderate
Tiger nuts are a good option for those trying to cut back on sugar or for those with high blood sugar levels. Fiber, which inhibits the consumption of vanity calories, may be the reason of this. Additionally, it has been proposed that arginine, which is found in tiger nuts, boosts the production of insulin to control sugar. Although research on this topic is still underway, consumers of tiger nut drinks can feel secure knowing that nuts often control blood sugar levels.
Can Enhance Heart Health
By controlling cholesterol levels, the combination of potassium, fiber, and good fats promotes cardiovascular health. Unsaturated fats, the healthier of the two forms of dietary fats, are also abundant in tiger nuts. These fats, which are also included in foods like olive oil, have been linked to a decreased risk of heart attack and stroke and aid in the absorption of vitamins.
Of course, there is also the sophisticated myth that tiger nuts increase testosterone and enhance sexual wellness. A glass of chilled tiger nut drink is a toast to revitalizing wellness, regardless of whether you want to test out this myth or are more interested in the nutritional advantages of tiger nuts as mentioned above.
You can prepare your own tiger nut drink at home and serve it whenever you want with this guide. Do you want to give it a try and let us know how it goes?
What do people ask?
Here are the following questions people ask about tiger nuts and how to prepare them for drink:
How frequently can you eat it?
Moderation is crucial when it comes to any food substance. Drinking one glass a day can help with digestion. Additionally, you can control your blood sugar levels by drinking a tiger nut drink every two to three days. Before settling into an intake rhythm, you should pay attention to how your body processes the drink.
Is it appropriate to add dates to a tiger nut drink?
Since dates contain natural sugars like fructose and sucrose, we used them in the recipe above. But dates are also a healthy sugar alternative because they are high in fiber and have good antioxidant qualities. Those with elevated blood sugar levels can also safely use them.
How can I make a lot of tiger nut drinks?
The best tip is to familiarize yourself with the process by starting with smaller quantities: 1-2 cups. Once you’ve mastered the soaking, blending, and filtering process and tested different ways to preserve its freshness for a day or more, you can move on to larger quantities. Also, ensure that the drink is consumed within a few days of preparation, whether you’re making it for consumption or commercial purposes.
