Tiger nut (chufa)
Cyperus esculentus
Botanical family: Cyperaceae
Cyperus esculentus var. sativus forms tufts of 30-60 cm resembling a sedge (carex), with hazelnut-sized tubers at the end of underground stolons. A remarkable taste: between almond and hazelnut, both mild and sweet, slightly crunchy. Possible preparations: raw, dried, as gluten-free flour, as a plant milk (traditional Valencian horchata de chufa), as a precious oil.
Full sun, warm and sheltered
Sandy free-draining, cool, ideally waterside sand
Regular in season
Annual in cold areas; perennial in a mild climate
Wind-pollinated (anemophilous)
Role in permaculture
One of the oldest domesticated plants in the world, tubers found in pre-dynastic Egyptian tombs (4000-3000 BC). A pillar of Valencian culture under the name 'chufa', the base of Spanish horchata (PDO around Valencia). Very nutritious tubers: 25-35% starch, 20-25% fats (oleic acid), gluten-free, mild and sweet. Planting in spring, harvest by lifting in autumn after the leaves dry out.
Good companions
Traditional companion planting (benefit not demonstrated)
Poor companions
Competition (water, light, roots)
Seasons & availability
Planted as tubers in spring, in April and May, tiger nut is lifted in autumn, in October and November; once thoroughly dried, its small tubers keep several months.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- Plants For A Future, « Cyperus esculentus » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cyperus+esculentus)
- Gerbeaud, « Souchet comestible : conseils de culture, récolte, utilisations » (gerbeaud.com/jardin/fiches/souchet-comestible,1299.html)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
The tubers must be carefully dried after harvest, then kept dry, to avoid moulds (aflatoxin risk). Hard when dry, they're soaked in water before eating. Not to be confused with purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus), inedible and an invasive weed.
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Cultures of ancient Egypt · Nile Valley, 4th and 3rd millennia BC
The tiger-nut tubers, called ḫ3 by the Egyptians, are found by the handful in pre-dynastic tombs. Some researchers have identified their presence in the tomb of Tutankhamun, possibly as a ritual food offering for the afterlife. Five thousand years later, Valencia turns the same plant into horchata, the sweet drink of every Mediterranean summer, the longest food memory of humanity, perhaps.
Vermeeren C., De Vries-Lubsen, études archéologiques palynologiques égyptiennes ; Pascual-Seva N. et al. (2015), Irrigation Science 33(3):191-202 (recherche conduite à l'Universitat Politècnica de València sur les coefficients culturaux de la chufa) ; Sánchez-Zapata E. et al. (2012), Food Reviews International ; réglementation AOP Horchata de Valencia.
Keep in mind
An invasive character to watch: the wild variety Cyperus esculentus var. leptostachyus is a difficult weed of maize and beet crops (IAS status in some English-speaking countries but not in France). The cultivated tuber variety (var. sativus) is more predictable but can escape: grow it in a raised bin or with an anti-rhizome barrier.
A note on rigour: many companion pairings are gardening folklore; this note sums up what the sources say, where there are any.
Regulatory status in Europe
A species' status varies from one country to another: check before growing, selling or foraging it outside France.
NetherlandsCultivation prohibited
Cultivation ban on agricultural and horticultural land (teeltverbod knolcyperus), with an obligation to control it and to clean equipment.
NVWA (autorité néerlandaise de sécurité des aliments), teeltvoorschrift knolcyperus (Cyperus esculentus)