Tigernuts

Going back to our roots. Tigernuts are a crop of early domestication. The earliest records of Tigernuts date back to ancient Egypt, where they were discovered with buried Egyptians from the 4th millennium B.C. to the 5th century A.D.  What records remain from antiquity suggest that tiger nuts were used medicinally and eaten as treats (they were valuable and loved enough to be entombed and discovered with buried Egyptians)… Today Cheloni has Tigernuts as a rich botanical infusion… We are “Cheloni-ing” with you by going back to our roots and creating something special to be enjoyed. Drink responsibly!

What are Tigernuts?

Tigernuts are the tubers of the Cyperus esculentus plant. They are not actually nuts but grow underground as tiny tubers similar to potatoes, yams, and Jerusalem artichokes. Tigernuts have stripes on their exterior like that on tigers, hence their name.  Renowned for their sweet almond-like tubers, they are also highly appreciated for their nutritive value with several purported benefits in traditional folklore.

They are widely cultivated in West Africa, in Ghana, Northern Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Senegal, and Togo where they are used primarily uncooked as a targeted snack. These countries and others, like Ivory Coast and India, export several tons of tubers every year to Spain where they are added to domestic production to be used to make a milk-like beverage called ‘horchata de chufa’. Tigernut is also cultivated in the Americas, including Brazil, and Chile.