| Tiger Nut Oil |
 Tiger Nut oil was first used by the Egyptians 4000 years ago, before olive oil. In fact, it is generally considered a more healthy alternative.
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Our Tiger Nuts
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 More Information: |
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Carretera Barcelona 48,
46530
PUÇOL (Valencia)
Tel. 96 146 58 59
Fax. 96 146 58 88
info@chufasbou.com |
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INTRODUCTION
Chufas Bou |
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The Tiger Nut, Cyperus esculentus L. Var. sativus, goes back a long way, with the presence of these tubers having been confirmed in Egyptian sarcophagi and tombs from the first dynasties. Its cultivation was introduced to the Peninsula by the Arabs in the Middle Ages, specifically on the Levantine Coast.
These plants from the Cyperaceas family have a highly developed rhizome system, where at the ends of the rhizomes tubers are formed called Tiger Nuts. The shape may be the rounded "armela" or elongated "llargueta".
The food and taste characteristics of the tuber are acquired after drying, when part of the starch has turned into sugar.
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Before planting, the soil must be prepared. The goal of this step is to include and shred the remains of the preceding crops (potatoes, onions, etc.) and leave the ground spongy, loose and nicely evened out.
The Tiger Nut is planted, preferably during the months of April and May, a date that depends on the earlier crop. Planting is done mechanically with pressure sowers that form hills 15-20 cm high, 55-60 cm apart.
The density of the sowing is an important part of the crop, since the tuber's yield and quality depend in good measure on it. Soil density is customarily high, requiring on the order of 10 or 12 Kg of Tiger Nuts per hanegada (831 m2).
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| Climate and Soil Requirements |
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1. Climate:
In hot climates with average temperatures high and free from freezes, the plant can complete its growth cycle with no problem.
The need for water is very high, and growth is favoured by a high ambient humidity.
Growing our Valencian Tiger Nut requires a water supply throughout the entire cycle, which can only be supplied through irrigation. This supply is greatest during tillering and tuberisation. Las lluvias intensas y los vientos fuertes son perjudiciales al cultivo en el periodo de plena vegetación, ya que favorecen el escamado precoz.
2. Soil Requirements:
To achieve our production quality, only loose soils can be used. In loose sandy-loam soils is where the Tiger Nut acquires the best quality, a sweeter and more intense flavour, a finer skin, a lack of roots that reduce its value and a bigger and more uniform size.
It should also be clean of vegetable remnants and stones, which abound in organic, non-saline materials that are present in the L'Horta Nord (Valencia) district.
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We burn off the upper part of the plant and then clean off the ashes and remains. We harvest during the months of November to January when the plant should be completely parched and dry.
In this operation the Tiger Nuts lose their roots. We clean their skin and eliminate any defective tubers.
We deposit the Tiger Nuts coming from the field onto a threshing floor of the washer. In the first washing drum the soil is separated from the rest of the material. Then it goes into a second drum formed by two concentric elements where the straw and larger stones are separated out.
A third drum removes the Tiger Nut's skin. Finally, a shower wets them down, and they pass through chutes where there are different streams of water. Here the gravel is separated from the Tiger Nuts, and they are done being cleaned.
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Once the Tiger Nuts are clean, they go into our warehouse, where they must lose part of their moisture (from 50% down to 11%) through the natural drying process. We carry out this process in drying "chambers", whose duration usually lasts at least 6 months.
During this operation we stir the Tiger Nuts slowly and carefully every day to achieve a uniform dryness and the characteristics specific to the Tiger Nut.
When they are dry, we clean and categorise them to separate the Tiger Nut from impurities or Tiger Nuts that are flawed or too small.
FInally, we package them in different size bags, according to our customers' needs. |
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