What does the exotic tiger nut, also known as tiger nut, bring into our kitchen? The brown root nodules of a Cyprus grass are about the size of hazelnuts, brown and wrinkled. The tubers are rich in starch and fiber, but also in fat and sugar. Since tiger nuts are very high in energy, their high mineral content can only contribute to a limited extent to a balanced diet. Tiger nut flours and flakes are often touted as an alternative to grain flours, but they are significantly more expensive and are more similar to nuts or almonds in terms of nutritional values.

The tiger nut – on the rise in this country

The tiger nut comes from Africa and is grown in many warm countries. In Europe it has a long tradition in Spanish Catalonia. There it is the main ingredient in the local specialty tiger nut “milk”, called horchata de chufa.  

It tastes sweet and slightly like almonds. Tiger nuts are mainly available as whole tubers or ground as flakes or flour. But there are also sweet spreads and snacks with tiger nut as the main ingredient.

In Germany they are mainly available in organic shops and health food stores. The offers in online retail are very diverse. Since the tiger nut accumulates heavy metals such as cadmium and lead as it grows, it is worth using organic products and only buying them from trustworthy sources.

A good flour alternative?

“Sometimes tiger nut products are advertised as being gluten- and lactose-free – this is a given for a tuber vegetable.”

Simone Goetz from the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Consumer Center

The small tuber is above all rich in starch and fiber. But it also contains plenty of calories, fat and sugar. It is therefore not recommended to simply use tiger nut flour as a substitute for wheat flour in baking, at least not in a one-to-one ratio. For comparison: with 15 grams of fiber, whole wheat flour only provides a little over two grams of fat and less than one gram of sugar per 100 grams. Tigernut flour, on the other hand, has around 25 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar per 100 grams.

In terms of nutritional value, tiger nut flour can be compared to partially deoiled almond or nut flour rather than grain flour, although these contain significantly more protein.

Rich in minerals?

The often advertised magnesium content is approximately the same as the content in wholemeal flour or wholemeal bread and oatmeal. When it comes to iron, tiger nuts can be roughly compared to legumes.

How much does it all cost?

The price of tiger nut flour or flakes is often 10 to 12 euros, and in some online offers it can be over 30 euros per kilogram.

CONCLUSION

It therefore makes sense to use tiger nut flour as sparingly as nuts and almonds when baking. Sweet snacks made from tiger nut flour with agave syrup or spreads and creams, like any other high-fat sweet, should only be enjoyed from time to time and should not serve as a “health benefit”.  

Source:

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Consumer Center

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