There’s another new food trend on the rise: tigernuts. While they have been around for thousands of years, recent interest in Paleo and raw diets have helped catapult this food into the public eye.
What Are They?
First things first: tigernuts are not actually nuts. They are the edible tuber of a plant called nutsedge, which is a weedy groundcover. In other words, this simple food has been hiding underground!
Appreciated for their high fiber content, tigernuts are about the size of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) but have a very different texture. With a crisp outside and soft, chewy center, these nuts are not for quickly snacking on but are wonderful for more thoughtful munching. Their sweet, earthy flavor is super satisfying if you’re in the midst of a sugar craving, too!
How to Use Them
In Spain, tigernuts have been used for many years to make horchata. Now, you can buy tigernuts to snack on whole, as ground flour, in premade horchata, as a pressed oil or even as a premade smoothie mix. If you are buying whole tigernuts, the flavor can vary between brands. Make sure to buy tigernuts that are specifically for eating.
Here are some ways to enjoy tigernuts:
Use tigernut flour in gluten-free baking.
Roast the whole tigernuts with your favorite spices for customized snacking.
Use tigernut oil instead of olive oil for cooking, especially at higher temperatures.
Make gluten-free breaded fish or chicken with tigernut flour.
Add tigernut horchata or smoothie mix to your favorite smoothie.
Have you tried tigernuts? Share your favorite ways to eat them!
Curious about what else is hot in the kitchen opens in a new tab? Check out our posts on pulses opens in a new tab, veggie noodles opens in a new tab, matcha opens in a new tab and more.
