Horchata saves the day
Mm, horchata. Thick, creamy, ice-cold. You either love it or loathe it. There are no half measures. Made by crushing the life out of tiger nuts (chufas) and mixing with sugar and water, you’ll find it at any good heladería swimming around in a glass tank next to the lemon granizado (sort of slush-puppy). I absolutely adore the stuff – and will never forget how it got me through one of my worst summers in Spain.
Several years ago, some nutty naturopath put me on a can’t-eat-anything-that-tastes-remotely satisfying diet. You know: no wheat, no dairy, no alcohol, no tea, no coffee, no joy. I couldn’t bear to eat out with anyone other than my partner or one very close friend – never in a group. After all, there is a limit to how often you want to pay to eat rosada a la plancha (grilled white fish) and salad. Or to how many glasses of maldito mosto (alcohol-less grape juice) you can take, while whoever you’re with knocks back the Rioja / Rueda / Ribeiro.
How to survive the heat and the fun of summer without small pleasures? Well, said the killjoy doctor, if you must, you can have the occasional lemon sorbet or horchata. They saved me, both. Tiny rewards, tiny treats that helped me stick to my regime, lose lots of weight and ditch the nutty naturopath (it’s a long story).
By the way, in Spain, tiger nuts are only grown in Valencia, and since 1995 the chufa de Valencia has been a Denominación de Origen product. According to the official Chufa of Valencia website, tiger nuts are rich in phosphorus, potassium and vitamins C and E.. More interestingly, perhaps, is the highly unlikely-sounding story as to how the drink got its name in the 13th century. It goes like this:
While the king of Catalunya and Aragón was taking a rest from fighting against the Moorish army, a kindly village girl offered him a glass of tiger nut milk Mmm,” he said, “¿Qué és això? (What’s this?)”
“Es leche de chufa (It’s tiger nut milk),” she replied.
“Això no es llet,” declared the King,. “¡Això ès OR, XATA! (That’s not milk, it’s gold, darling!)”
In Catalan ‘or’ is gold, and ‘xata’, pronounced ‘chata’, a term of endearment, like darling. From then on, the drink became known as ‘horchata de chufa’. The word ‘chufa’, on the other hand probably comes from a place in Sudan called Chufi, where the tiger nut is thought to have originated several thousand years ago.
Not many people know that.
Tags: Spanish drinks, Spanish language
July 3rd, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Hi Treez
you introduced us to the wonders of this drink
it’s now a fave for us at the many Mexican places we frequent in SF
We asked for a recipe from Casa Sanchez on 24th Street in the Mission but it has never tasted as good!
July 4th, 2010 at 11:33 am
I remember! In fact, I thought of you guys when I wrote the post. Nothing ever tastes as good as the place ‘of origin’. THe times we’ve made gazpacho or paella or even tortilla de patatas in the UK – they never quite taste as good.
July 4th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
The answer of the village girl would have been in Catalan too (“és llet de xufla”), as Spanish didn’t arrive to Valencia until the 16th entury.
The original name is: Orxata de Xufla, translated in Spanish as “Horchata de Chufa”.
The real name is Orxata (and Xufla), then. Horchata (and Chufa) is a translation to Spanish.
July 5th, 2010 at 9:37 am
THanks for that John.
July 12th, 2010 at 9:57 am
I think the “horchata” is Valenciana no Catalana.
July 30th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Hi everyone,
If you ever happen to visit València, you should visit “Casa Daniel” in Alboraia (opposite “El Palmaret tube stop). It’s the best orxata in the world. The place is soooooo good that in summer it is really difficult to get a table, although Casa Daniel is a two-storey building.
My boyfriend didn’t like it and now we stop there everytime we go visit my family.
It is really the best drink for hot summers!!!
August 3rd, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Will definitely do so if / when make it to Valencia!
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Thank you so much, this was a good read. I was actually born in Spain ( not telling when though!) but moved around europe and lastly settled in England when I was 6. I dont remember an awful lot of the few years I was in spain, but the smell of spanish food always seems to ring a bell in me or something. It’s weird how I dont remember anything except the smells,isn’t it! I actually found a whole website dedicated to spanish recipes, which gave me great delight and thought I really should to share. Anyway, thank you again. I’ll get my son to add your feed to my rss thing…
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Hi Jerome, Yes, smells are so evocative and Spanish food is sooooooh good. Thanks for the link and for your comments. Sounds like an interesting childhood ….