Tiger nut is an amuse-bouche found at the stalls of some rare fruit vendors in the West African sub-region. It’s growing in popularity and is beginning to draw the attention of farmers, researchers, processors, and government agencies because many of its benefits make it a nutritional treasure.
Produced in many countries in Europe, the Middle East and West Africa (Burkina, Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali), the tigernut has long been neglected and even considered a wild herb, sometimes only grown for local consumption.
These tubers look like small, more or less round, slightly hard, brown or yellow fruits. They come from a perennial plant, which is also known as “pea”, “tiger nut” or in African languages ”tchongon” (Ivory Coast), “Efio” (mina/Togo), “ndir” (wolof/Senegal), “atadwe” ( Ghana).
They are eaten raw, boiled or even grilled as a delicacy. Some soak them in water before eating. They have a slightly sweet, milky taste with a nutty note.
These nuts contain calcium and are very high in energy nutrients, as well as protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, fiber and vitamin C.
Magnesium allows calcium to bind to the bones and is necessary for the functioning of the kidneys. Potassium is useful for good blood pressure and at the same time plays a beneficial role in heart activity.
dr Ousmane Ouedraogo, Nutritionist and President of the Nutrition Society of Burkina Faso adds that “The nutritional content of 100g of tigernuts, determined on the basis of laboratory analysis, is 452 kilocalories, 4g protein, 25g lipids, 57g carbohydrates, 48mg Calcium, 6 mg vitamin C, 3 mg iron and traces of group B vitamins. Tigernuts also contain dietary fiber, which contributes to good digestion.”
Gluten-free, ideal for people with gluten allergies and people who eat a sugar-free diet.
dr Ousmane Ouedraogo explains that the tiger nut in juice or milk, commonly known as “horchata”, is transformed into cooking oil and cosmetics, as well as flour to make cakes, tarts and biscuits.
Some believe tiger nut milk helps prevent colon cancer due to its high fiber content, nutrient E, magnesium, and satiating properties that also help brighten skin.
Tigernut oil is very popular because its nutritional and therapeutic properties are said to be comparable to olive oil in particular. It has a golden brown color and unique nutritional properties for use in food (fried foods, spices) and cosmetics.
Tigernut tubers are also used to make tigernut flour, which is used in baking.
Producers, processors, traders, donors and researchers try to better promote its culture and make it competitive in the international market.
For example, we see that in Niger the tiger nut has become a substitute product in the face of the decline of a crop like the peanut.
The country produced 52,044 tons of tigernuts during the 2021 campaign, according to the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture, which reports an average increase of 14% over the past 5 years.
Farmers have always grown it in domestic fields, but this crop had gained prominence in the area after the peanut’s demise for two main reasons: Tigernuts are popular in neighboring Nigeria and the land set aside for growing peanuts is good for it suitable.
Bori Haoua, a specialist agronomist who published a study on the benefits and limitations of growing tigernuts in Niger, believes the nutrient composition of these tubers can encourage their inclusion in the diet of the Nigerian population.
At a time when this product is gaining popularity, he insists that tigernuts should be backed by scientific research.
Internationally, tigernuts are increasingly regarded as a “superfood”.
Ousmane Ouedraogo tells us what he thinks: “In terms of its nutritional composition, the tiger nut can be considered a food that naturally provides multiple nutrients in reasonable amounts, so it can be considered a superfood.
Nevertheless, we cannot cover all of our nutritional needs with one food alone. Because of this, we need to eat multiple food groups a day. For example, women need 4 food groups per day and children need at least 4 groups per day.”
So far, tigernuts are not really recorded separately in the official statistical data of most West African countries. Efforts are being made to provide growers with varieties adapted to different soil types in order to boost production, but it is primarily considered a crop with strong export potential and industrial processing is scarce.
On the other hand, in a country like Spain (Valencia region), the production of tigernuts occurs on a large scale, followed by processing for the food industry, mainly due to the growing consumer demand for “horchata de chufa”, a Spanish drink made from these tubers.
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