Make mine a tiger nut latte

Over the years we’ve seen all sorts of new drinks come on to the market but this one took us by surprise.

There are hundreds of different milks – or mylks as the dairy free brigade like to call them. In fact according to a recent survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by Mintel, nearly a quarter of us now drink rice, oat, almond and other plant based milks.

You may think that all the nuts that could be squeezed of their ‘milk’ had been milked, but they have found another, the Tiger Nut. Don’t fear nothing to do with an endangered great cat, but a small thing found growing in Africa and Spain and named for its stripey coat. They also are not nuts at all but a tuber, related more to a potato or an artichoke.

Here’s the good stuff Tiger Nuts are high in fibre and support good gut bacteria, stabilize blood sugar and make us feel fuller for longer. They also apparently taste good too, in fact, a sweet, malty taste. Furthermore, they are relatively low in calories at 120 calories per 50 nuts as well as being loaded with vitamin C, E and iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Despite their new found popularity Tiger Nuts have been around for millennia and were often found in store cupboards in ancient Eygpt. More recently they were an austerity snack after World War Two and were on sale in sweet shops. What would kids of today think of Tiger Nuts.