Tiger Nuts Essay

963 Words4 Pages
Tiger Nuts (Cyperus esculentus) Super Crop of the Future Since the world population is steadily growing the hunt for a lesser unexploited crop is on the rise. Tiger nut is an underutilized crop which is common in the flood wetland and Mediterranean region. Tiger nut have many name with each region it’s grown in but is most commonly known as Cyperus esculentus or earth almonds. Study shows that they are high in nutritious value and carry many health benefits but people who consume it don’t have any knowledge of these benefits. Tiger nut can be consume in several different ways such as eating them raw, roasted, in a liquid form, used as oil and even as a flour in a powder form. The earth almond is a tough erect fibrous rooted perennial plant that stands usually one to three feet tall. There tubers are brown on the outside with encircling leaf scares and white inside with a dark root. They use the wind to pollinate and are best grown in moist sandy loam soil but can grow in hardest clay. One plant can produce over 7000 tubers and a single tuber can produce nearly 2000 plants in one growing season. As the plant grows in different regions the name changes such as Zulu Nut, Yellow nut grass, ground or earth almond, chufa, edible rush and rush nut. These tubers can be founded in three different colors which includes black, brown, and yellow. The yellow are more preferred since it yield more milk, contain more fat and higher in protein. Tiger nut can be dated back to the ancient time of the Egyptians. The small tuber was very important food for them because they were preserved and found in many tombs from the predynastic period. Evidence also shows that they were eating like candy or sweetmeat but used for general medical reason. In Europe the tubers was introduced by the Arabs which eventually used to make a beverage called horchata. Other

More about Tiger Nuts Essay

Open Document