Tigernuts Traders exports the chufa / chufas worldwide. La Eliana, Valencia, Spain.

THE TIGER NUT MILK - Ferrán Adriá / Xavier Moret

The Angel and Mr. Patanegra of gastronomy were having a walk for El Carmen neighbourhood when the last one starts to complain of the hot weather.

- Be patient Patanegra, be patient – say the Angel as an advice – God sends us the hot in summer for enjoying some unique drinks –

- Don’t tell me that we are going to enjoy another pair of cocktails? –

- Against the thirsty? Here in Valencia? The best is to have a very cold tiger nut milk –

- Are you sure Angel? I think tiger nut milk is for children, it would be better a beer.-

- Everything has its moment and today is tiger nut milk’s moment –

The Angel takes Mr. Patanegra to a place where it is made the tiger nut milk in which, above a marble bar, there is a huge and cold container with a lot of litres of tiger nut milk.

- You must know, lucky mortal – The Angel says – that the tiger nut milk is a unique drink, one of the most universal that exist. I don’t know any other similar. It’s made from the tiger nut, an apparently simple tuber, like the potato, not in the size but in the form, texture and colour.-

- I have tried the tiger nuts – points Mr. Patanegra – The truth is that I find them a bit dry and insipid.-

- That doesn’t happen when they are good ones – The Angel takes out some of them from his pocket like a magic trick – Have these, try them. They are very juicy, if you chew them all the flavour explodes in your mouth.-

Mr. Patanegra does what he says and nods.

- Observe Patanegra, there are two kinds of tiger nut, the llargueta (the long one) and the armela (the round one)- carries on the Angel- It’s planting (April and May), like the kind of ground (flooding flow) and the extern factors (rain, wind, humidity, temperature) are very important in its cultivation, which is only made in 16 areas of the L’Horta Nord.-

- Do you say that the tiger nut milk is made from this? – meditates Mr. Patanegra with the tiger nut in his hand - ¿How is it made?, Could I make at home? –

- After de recollection, the tiger nut is washed, and the ground, the stones and the hair is separated and then you leave them drying 3 months in a carefully and slowly way. In this process humidity decrease from 50% to 11%. To make the tiger nut milk you leave the tiger nut soaking 8 or 12 hours, shaking them sometimes and adding new water. Then it is drained and grinded in a mill,

- Adding 3litres of water for each kilo of tiger nut. It is leaved macerating and by pressing it is obtained the first extract.-

- It must lose a lot of tiger nut-

- No it must not, it is added 2 litres of water for each kilo of residue, it’s pressed, sifted and mixed with the obtained previously.-

- And what is that sweetness?- asks Mr. Patanegra after try it- I haven’t noticed it before trying the tiger nut-

- Everything is completed adding 100 or 150 gr. of sugar for each litre.-

- Well, it’s very good- says Mr. Patanegra- Shall we have another one? I’ve seen that they serve it iced too.-

- Yes, but I prefer it when it is poured from one of this refrigerant recipient- says the Angel- This smell and taste are magic, so it is the flavour of tiger nut that it leaves at the end, it is like made it in purpose for you to have another one.-

- I want another one, let’s ask for it, there is no danger of getting drunk.-

- Enjoy mortal, enjoy, tomorrow we will have a good vegetable grill in Murcia.-

GENTE (PEOPLE)
Placeres (pleasures) – Ferrán Adriá / Xavier Moret
EL PAÍS