Chufa (Cyperus esculentus) again

Sometimes it’s just so frustrating that a blog is not a forum.  I get such terrific feedback that I want to incorporate or reply to.

What fresh chufa (tiger) nuts look like

Oz Sokoh (aka kitchenbutterfly) gave me permission to post her photo of fresh Nigerian chufa or tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus).

Fresh chufa nuts in Nigeria. Kitchen Butterfly.

They must dry well because that’s the way they are sold in Spain, a country that cherishes its horchata de chufa.  But I am lined up and ready to try the fresh ones.

And just to keep the linguistic trail straight, Oz tells me that kunnu aya is Hausa for what in Spanish would be horchata de chufa.

Chufa as one of the world’s worst weeds

Horchata is made from the bulbous root of this sedge. Wikimedia Commons

And Wikipedia now has lots, lots more on the sedge Cyperus esculentus from which Nigerian and Spanish horchata is made.  It is firmly branded as one of the world’s worst weeds.

Well.  Perhaps it has a future better than fish bait (US).  Cooks of the world to the rescue.

• ← Agua Fresca 24: Nigerian Horchata and the Diffusion of Islamic Cuisine
• Celebrating, Yes, Celebrating Raisins →