How we pick our products
You have heard that tiger nuts are effective against immune disorders and mild gastrointestinal complaints? But you are not yet convinced of the effect and would like to learn more about the intake, scientific background and necessary criteria for the purchase of tiger nuts? Then you’ve come to the right place.
We are pleased that you have found your way to our great tiger nut test 2023. We will provide you with all the information you need about tiger nuts. Not only will you learn why these tigernuts are said to have healing properties, but you will also learn something about tiger nuts themselves.
Summary
- Tiger nuts usually have a slightly nutty and sweet taste. They are available in different hard and soft product types.
- They do not contain any almond or nut allergens or fructose and are therefore also suitable for allergy sufferers.
- You can eat them pure as a nut substitute or mix them into your food as powder and flakes. They are versatile.
The best Tiger Nut: Our Picks
Buying and evaluation criteria for tiger nuts
When buying tiger nuts, you can look at various aspects, such as:
By making the right choice for you, you can save money and also ensure that you don’t add anything to your body that it doesn’t need. Therefore, always look for high quality and, if necessary, ask to see the manufacturer’s certificates.
Texture / Shape
Tigernuts come in different shapes and textures. You can read more about this in the product types. In general, a distinction can be made between firm and soft texture.
When deciding what to buy, keep in mind that each shape has its advantages and disadvantages. Tigernuts with a firm texture include, for example, natural tigernuts and tigernut flakes.
Products with a soft texture include tiger nut flour, tiger nut milk, tiger nut cream and tiger nut oil. Depending on your intended use, one tiger nut product is more suitable than the other.(2)
Personal diet
Basically, tiger nuts are wonderfully suited for a diet without gluten, fructose or nut and almond allergens. In addition, tiger nut products are high in fibre and vegan.
| Diet | description |
|---|---|
| Autoimmune protocol | specific diet for autoimmune diseases |
| Fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP) | avoidance of specific carbohydrate compounds |
If you are following a special diet, you should consider in advance how to integrate tiger nut products into your diet. Depending on the product you want to use, you should look at the composition.
Quality
Most tiger nut products are labelled “organic” and sold in organic quality. If products are labelled organic, it means that they come from organic farming.
This means that the products have been produced in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Some suppliers are in close contact with the producers themselves or the producers distribute their products themselves.
In some cases, the production methods are publicly visible. If you attach great importance to the transparency of organic quality, you should take a closer look at the product page of the manufacturer.
Origin
Especially cultivation sites in Spain and Africa are very suitable and in demand for the tiger nut. Most tiger nut products in Germany also come from there. Most manufacturers, especially on the internet, emphasise the country of origin of their products on their website.
The tiger nut plant extracts heavy metals from the soil. This ensures that the plant is intentionally planted in polluted areas in order to clean the soil. The manufacturers normally point this out.(1)
Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying tigernuts
In order to inform you comprehensively about tigernuts and to give you an understanding of the current state of science, we have summarised all the important information in the following sections.
What are tigernuts?
The term chufa comes from its native country Spain and the name tiger nut comes from its striped and nut-like appearance. Since it is a plant tuber, it is only a common assumption that it is a nut. (1, 3)
Its appearance contributes to this assumption. It is about the size of a hazelnut or pea and has a roundish to elongated shape. It has a wrinkled appearance and has stripes in its unshelled form.
Under the shell sits a white kernel that has a sweet and vanilla-like flavour. The taste is also similar to that of an almond or hazelnut. There are three different types of tiger nut. (1)
You can choose between yellow, brown and black tiger nuts. The yellow tiger nut is the largest and has the highest nutrient content. Due to their hardness, you should soften them before eating.
If you want to eat them directly, you should use pre-treated tiger nuts or tiger nut products. It is also suitable as a skin and hair care product and against intestinal complaints. (2)
What are the ingredients and nutritional values of tiger nuts?
Furthermore, tiger nut products have a high content of enzymes that are beneficial for digestion and metabolism. (6, 7, 9, 10)
What types of tiger nuts are there?
- Natural tiger nuts
- Ground tiger nuts
- Tiger nut flakes
- Tigernut milk
- Tiger nut cream
- Tiger nut oil
Depending on your own needs and your personal situation, some products are more or less suitable for you. As with almost everything, the different types of products have their advantages and disadvantages.
In the following, we have summarised some information on the individual product types. We hope this will make your decision easier. (4)
Natural tiger nuts
These are tiger nuts in their original natural substance. They have not been altered or had additives added to them. They are also called natural tiger nuts.
They are healthier than processed tiger nut products. They are high in fibre and antioxidants. In this form, they can alleviate or prevent certain diseases.
In their natural form, they can provide more energy, strengthen the immune system or boost the metabolism. They are also well tolerated by nut allergy sufferers, almond allergy sufferers and fructose intolerant people.
One disadvantage, however, is that they are very hard by nature. Therefore, you should soak them a day before eating them. They are also rich in fibre.
Because of this, you should slowly get your body used to the high amount of fibre and not exceed a daily dose of about 20g. That is about three tablespoons. (5, 11)
Ground tiger nuts
Ground tiger nuts, like almonds, are tiger nuts that have been crushed through a grinding process. In most cases, the tiger nuts are roasted beforehand because they are then easier to process.
As tiger nuts are gluten-free, they can be used as a good substitute for wheat flour. This is a great advantage, especially for people with gluten intolerance. It is also suitable for allergy sufferers in ground form.
Because it has a sweet taste, you can use it as a sugar substitute in baking. It also adds a nutty flavour to your baked goods.
However, most of the unsaturated fatty acids are destroyed by the prior roasting. This ensures that the ground version is somewhat less healthy. This means that they lose their positive effect on the cardiovascular system.
If you do not want to do without the unsaturated fatty acids, some manufacturers also offer ground tiger nuts that have not been roasted.
Another disadvantage is that due to the absence of gluten, another binding agent should be added. Without this, the pastry would not rise and the dough would not be successful.(5)
Tigernut flakes
Tiger nut flakes can be used in many ways in the kitchen. Here, the tiger nuts have been processed into small, thin flakes. You can add them to your food when baking or cooking, or mix them into your muesli.
This type of product also contains no gluten, nut or almond allergens. However, due to their size, tiger nut flakes are not yet suitable for babies or small children.
Another disadvantage of tiger nut flakes is that you need a large amount to achieve an intense flavour. This type of product is therefore less suitable for a small snack in between meals.
Tigernut milk
Tigernut milk is a vegetable milk made from tiger nuts. Milk made from tiger nuts has the great advantage of being lactose-free and vegan. It is a good alternative to cow’s milk or soy milk.
It has a high content of enzymes. These control the metabolic processes and digestive enzymes help to break down food into its component parts. It can therefore alleviate digestive problems.
One disadvantage of tiger nut milk is that it goes bad relatively quickly. That’s why you should use it up within a few days. An alternative is tiger nut milk concentrate.
This can be kept for up to two years and only needs to be diluted with water for a better taste. (1, 3, 4, 11)
Tigernut cream
Tiger nut cream is a cream made from tiger nuts. It has a soft consistency and can be used for many different purposes in the kitchen. It can be used as a spread or to refine desserts.
You can also use it to refine your muesli and mix it into your dough. The tiger nut cream is also free from lactose, nuts and almonds. It is also suitable for allergy sufferers like the other product types.
As with other nut creams, it is possible that some oil will settle on top after a while. You should simply stir this in when you use it again.
This is also considered a night-time disadvantage by some users, although the oil acts as a protective layer for the cream. Some manufacturers have been found to have a high sugar and fat content. This is not necessarily suitable for people who want to lose weight. (12)
Tiger nut oil
Tiger nut oil is a thick fatty liquid made from tiger nuts. You can use tiger nut oil in different areas of the kitchen. You can marinate, fry or deep-fry food with tiger nut oil.
The nutrients in tiger nut oil have a positive effect on pregnancy. They strengthen the foetus in the womb. The high vitamin E content of the oil promotes fertility in women and men.
One disadvantage of tiger nut oil is that it is difficult to extract. The tiger nut naturally consists of only 25% oil and is hard. This makes for an increased price at the time of purchase.(7, 8, 13)
What are the alternatives to tiger nuts?
In the following table we have selected some alternatives to the tiger nut.
| Alternative | Description |
|---|---|
| Coconut | stone fruit, taste: nutty, sweet to slightly sour, rich in fibre and vegetable fat, unsuitable for weight loss |
| Chia seeds | vegetable seeds, taste: slightly nutty to neutral, rich in fibre, digestive and blood thinning, may lower blood pressure |
| Oatmeal | oat cereal products, flavour: neutral, rich in nutrients and fibre, low in gluten, digestive and effective for gastrointestinal complaints |
All three alternatives are products outside the nut world. They are therefore also tolerable for nut allergy sufferers. They differ between the taste, but are partly similar in their effect. (6, 13)
Image source: fosterss / 123rf
References (13)
1.
Sebastià N, Soler C, Soriano JM, Mañes J. Occurrence of aflatoxins in tigernuts and their beverages commercialized in Spain. J Agric Food Chem. 2010;58(4):2609-2612. doi:10.1021/jf903818x
Source
2.
Akonor PT, Tortoe C, Oduro-Yeboah C, Saka EA, Ewool J. Physicochemical, Microstructural, and Rheological Characterization of Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) Starch. Int J Food Sci. 2019;2019:3830651. Published 2019 Jun 2. doi:10.1155/2019/3830651
Source
3.
Badejo AA, Damilare A, Ojuade TD. Processing Effects on the Antioxidant Activities of Beverage Blends Developed from Cyperus esculentus, Hibiscus sabdariffa, and Moringa oleifera Extracts. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2014;19(3):227-233. doi:10.3746/pnf.2014.19.3.227
Source
4.
Rubert J, Sebastià N, Soriano JM, Soler C, Mañes J. One-year monitoring of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in tiger-nuts and their beverages. Food Chem. 2011;127(2):822-826. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.01.016
Source
5.
Oluwajuyitan TD, Ijarotimi OS. Nutritional, antioxidant, glycaemic index and Antihyperglycaemic properties of improved traditional plantain-based (Musa AAB) dough meal enriched with tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) and defatted soybean (Glycine max) flour for diabetic patients. Heliyon. 2019;5(4):e01504. Published 2019 Apr 15. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01504
Source
6.
Jaffe WG. Uber den Nährwert von Hülsenfrüchten [Nutritive value of legumes]. Ther Ggw. 1970;109(10):.
Source
7.
Guilland JC. Qu'est-ce qu'une vitamine? [What is a vitamin?]. Rev Prat. 2013;63(8):1060-1069.
Source
8.
BIRCHER W. Pflanzengewachsene Mineralstoffe. Wendepunkt Leben Leiden. 1948;25(8):237.
Source
9.
Wirths W. Mineralstoffe in der Ernährung [Minerals in nutrition]. MMW Munch Med Wochenschr. 1980;122(39):1323-1324.
Source
10.
Roine P. Zur Bedeutung der Mineralstoffe in der Nahrung [Significance of minerals in food]. Ther Ggw. 1971;110(12):.
Source
11.
Tipton KF, O'Sullivan MI, Davey GP, O'Sullivan J. It can be a complicated life being an enzyme. Biochem Soc Trans. 2003;31(Pt 3):711-715. doi:10.1042/bst0310711
Source
12.
Nowak A. Stoffwechselkrankheiten. Ther Umsch. 2018;75(4):197. doi:10.1024/0040-5930/a000989
Source
13.
Pul R, Kleinschnitz C. Gute Ernährung reduziert MS-Symptome. MMW Fortschr Med. 2018;160(18):42. doi:10.1007/s15006-018-1026-7
Source
Why you can trust me?
Most popular
Related posts
