07/08/2020
Cyperus esculentus (also called
chufa , atadwe , yellow nutsedge , and earth almond) is a crop of the sedge family widespread across much of the world. It is found in most of the Eastern Hemisphere, including Southern Europe, Africa and
Madagascar , as well as the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. C. esculentus is cultivated for its edible tuber's, called earth almonds or tiger nuts, as a snack food and for the preparation of horchata de chufa, a sweet, milky like beverage.
Cyperus esculentus can be found wild, as a w**d, or as a crop. It is an
invasive species outside its native range, and is readily transported accidentally to become invasive. In many countries, C. esculentus is considered a w**d. It is often found in wet soils such as rice paddies and peanut farms as well as well-irrigated lawns and golf courses during warm weather.
History
It has been suggested that the extinct
hominin Paranthropus boisei (the "Nutcracker Man") subsisted on tiger nuts.
C. esculentus was one of the oldest cultivated plants in prehistoric and
Ancient Egypt, where it was an important food. Roots of wild chufa have been found at Wadi Kubbaniya, north of Aswan, dating to around 16,000 BC. Dry tubers also appear later in tombs of the Predynastic period , around 3000 BC. During that time, C. esculentus tubers were consumed either boiled in beer, roasted, or as sweets made of ground tubers with honey. The tubers were also used medicinally, taken orally, as an ointment, or as an e***a, and used in fumigants to sweeten the smell of homes or clothing. Chufa continued to be an important source of food in the Dynastic period , and cultivation of the plant remained exclusively in Egypt.
The plant was introduced to Spain by the Arabs, first in the Valencia region. [citation needed]
Botany
Young plant with tuber
Cyperus esculentus is an annual or
perennial plant, growing to 90 cm (3.0 ft) tall, wide. Like and follow our page for more! Much love!
