Thanks for posting this Josh. I had horchata a few years ago in Barcelona and still long for a glass when the weather gets really hot. Next time I'll use your recipe and make myself one.

BTW: seeing you were tempted by arancini you might like to take a look at my IMBB entry

http://ilforno.typepad.com/il_forno/2004/05/around_the_worl.html

Josh

Horchata is very big in Madrid (well probably much of Spain), too. It is very typical to drink this drink during the summer and the name always conjures up the thought of people drinking it on a summer's day in of Retiro Park's terrace bars.

I had no idea horchata is popular in Spain as well. My only association with it was with Mexican food.

Alberto, your arancini look excellent. Now I am able to have both the horchata and (virtual) arancini! I need to make them myself.

Hi Josh-
Your horchata looks and sounds delicous, I must definately give this a try. I've never had it before, but I have had milk made from almonds and enjoyed that, so I'm sure I'll love this. I like the idea of adding lime to it as you saw in one recipe.
Your photos are beautiful, I especially like the rice almond and vanilla bean one.

Hello Josh! I've never had horchata, does it resemble the rice milk you can buy in organic stores?

Thanks for the compliment on the photo, Deb. That's actually a piece of Mexican cinnamon in the picture. If you like almond milk, you'll like horchata.

Clotilde, from these comments, it looks like you missed your chance to try some horchata when you were in Spain. It is sort of similar to rice milk. I was thinking that you could probably make a quick and easy version by mixing rice milk, almond milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

gorgeous photos as always : )

I've had rice milk but never horchata, not even when I visited Spain... now I'm intrigued...

Josh,

Gorgeous pictures. I've never been a big fan or horchata, but this one looks so good I might just have to give it a try.

By the way, the final list of all entries is ready now at http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/2004/05/i_am_speechless.html

cheers,
Pim

Hi all,

Horchata is actually very popular throughout Latin America and is made in Panama and Ecuador with sesame seeds instead of almonds. I love it.

Hi folks

I actually referenced this article on my blog Mad About Madrid (http://www.madaboutmadrid.com) recently and this morning I got an email from someone telling me that they prefer 'chufas' (or tiger nuts) to almonds. On further investigation I found other recipes for Horchata de Chufa - which is the one which is actually popular in Spain. Here's a link to one of the recipes: Horchata de Chufas (Tiger Nut Milk): http://pages.zdnet.com/shenanchie/spain/index.htm. It's a long page so you'll have to search for "Tiger Nut Milk".

The real horchata is made in Valencia, Spain. It is Tiger Nut milk. The milk made from almonds in America is called horchata because they take this name from the vocabulary that the Spanish conquerors brought there. The only similarity between them is that both cool drinks are white.
That happens with many words that americans took from spanish language and applied to different things e.g. Tortilla, it is not the same food in america than in Spain, obviously in America there are not the same products that we have in Europe, and the meals, even that they take the same name are not make with the same ingredients.
The Tiger nut was used by Egiptians and only can be cultivate in very special enviroments.

This is probably the best recipe for
"horchata" that I have tried in quite a while. I am currently looking for an american source of "Chufas", or otherwise known as TIGER NUTS, this happen to be the ingredient of choice for horchata in Spain. Will Welcome any suggestions....Best Wishes Ray Molina

I was curious - why doesn't anybody use rice flour instead of grinding rice into, what is essentially, rice flour? I've not tried this yet, but I intend to tomorrow. I don't have a cheesecloth either...

Another thought: Although it's not traditional, why not try nutmeg or cardamon instead of vanilla?

The Spanish version of horchata, made with chufas, has just come to the UK as Tiger White. It's being sold initially as a tasty milk alternative and can be found next to the long life soya milk. Check out www.tigerwhitedrinks.com - its already available in Tescos, Holland & Barrett, Budgens, Booths and independent health food stores.

Link didn't seem to work - I'll try again. http://www.tigerwhitedrinks.com.

How did you achieve the lighting on your almond, rice and cinnamon shot? Is it natural light or artificial?

Jumbuck
http://www.mmmrecipes.com/

The lighting is completely natural. It was taken mid-day with sunlight pouring in through the window.

I´m currently (and probably permanantly) living in Spain, Luckily in Valencia Communidad so Horchata is readily available from all bars, having recently discovered this drink I´m hooked!
So much so I´ve just returned from getting a take away (para llevar) Horchata from the bar below my apartment (at 11pm).
Horchata de Chufa also is readily available in local supermarkets like LIDL.

Greetings & salutations one and all. I'm fascinated by what I've just read here. My father is from Spain but never mentioned horchata. Turns out he doesn't care for the stuff. Regardless, my husband loves horchata of the sort we here in San Francisco Bay Are have available at most Mexican restaurants. So,one day I'm talking with a friend who is also a foodie and she starts talking to me about horchata from Spain made with Tiger Nuts! I thought she was nuts! So together we've been hunting this thing down. NOW, the big question is, HOW do we, stuck here in America, get horchata de chufa of our own? Feedback on this would be HUGELY appreciated. If any of you are actually IN Spain, I would be happy to "trade" products with you. Think a bunelo would still be hot if it was mailed half way around the world?

If you do a Google search for "Buy Chufa nuts" you will come up with all sorts of sites which have info regarding planting, and seeds as well. Apparently not hard to grow, and long known in the U.S. as food for wild turkeys, hogs and deer. The Spanish Horchata has, I believe, a different taste than our local Mexican variety. You can buy the Spanish variety (bottled) from Amazon. I am going to try and grow some from seed in the back yard here in El Paso, Texas.

Just wanted to share that I'm drinking my first Horchata right now!! The Mexican restaurant, Pampano on 49th street between 3rd and 2nd in NYC sells it! YUMMY!!

Hi Robyn,

Right now! I'm 22 blocks away (and jealous)!

I think live horchata blogging is going to be the next big thing . . .

I also have had horchata de arroz with fruit blended. My favorite is one with melon (I think it's the same as "honeydew").

horchata is all around arizona but this recipe is great. I drink horchata daily but i do wonder how fattening it is. Do you have any idea on the healthy aspects???? Thanks again,

Hi to everybody,
I used to life in Managua, Nicaragua and there the “orchata” was even better than the ones you are talking about. The recipe had two other ingredients (Cacao and Jicaro a kind of seeds that grow in Central America). I used to buy in any supermarket. I know that you may not be able to find jicaro seeds, but at least you could try by adding cacao to you current recipe. You will like it. Regards,
Marcelo

I haven't seen anyone post anything about what to do with the solids. Can they be used for cooking or anything else? Or do you just discard them?

how much does the recipe above yield?

Juan, I'm going to guess it's about a quart. Definitely no more than two. Bear in mind that it doesn't keep well in my experience. Serve within a few hours of making it.

Does anyone know of a way i can use rice milk, instead of boiling the rice and stuff? What should i add? I'd experiment but last time i experimented, i wound up with food poisoning. and the time before that, and the time before that.... maybe i should eat out more often...

Click on my name to see some Horchata Nutrition Facts I found.

I used to live in TX, and purchased a can of Instant Horchata by the La Mejor brand at Sams Members Club many years ago. I just finished the can today (the ingredients don't go bad), and have been looking online to find a similar product, but so far, I have only found small jars or packets of Instant Horchata. So I have decided to make my own according to the indredients list on this can, and it's main ingredients are Rice Flour, Non-fat dry milk, and spices. This instant drink is really delicious, and I plan on buying Rice flour to make my own, as I really don't see the point of grinding rice to make it into a flour when rice flour is already available and will give you instant results. Just add to your blender or glass the rice flour, non-fat dry milk (I'm going to experiment with Cremora), cinnamon/vanilla, water and sugar to taste, and mix away. If this instant drink tastes delicious with rice flour, why do it the hard way by grinding rice? Hope this helps you guys and enjoy!

Yea, I was introduced to Horchata at a small Mexican Grocery Store in Vallejo,CA that had a small cafe in the back (Tapatios), where you could order delicious food (the burritos were amazing). I found the Kern's variety at Safeway (it took some digging to find it, it was in the same section as dairy, but in the JUICES section, with the Minute Maid and Kerns half-gallon cartons). When I finally go home, I plan on making some of my own. And to think my ship was just recently in Rota, Spain, I could have had myself the real thing!

I first tried Horchata at a local taqueria in Colorado. This may sound strange, but I mixed it with some Coca-Cola about half and half and it's PHENOMENAL! I've been looking for a recipe for awhile that sounded decent and easy to make. I will definitely be trying out this one. Thanks for all of your research!

Rice Dream makes horchata now, but it's not authentic in any way, and I don't like the flavor - slightly sour.

I've made horchata myself many different ways including using: white rice, brown rice, coconut, almonds, and combinations of all of the above. I've even tried koji, an ingredient in Amazake made from inoculating rice with mold spores - very tasty. I've sweetened with white and brown sugar, honey, brown rice syrup, and fructose.

Almonds and white sugar are my favorite way to make it, but I've never tried chufa nuts. I'm going to Valencia this August and looking forward to finding the real stuff.

I found em! Chufa nuts! At tienda.com or the exact link is:
http://www.tienda.com/table/products/cw-12.html?rlid=search&HBDCMP=IL-TSugSearch

on my first day in valencia, i sat in the town square, drinking horchata and dipping in churro like pastries which my valencian friend referreed to, much to my bemusesment, as "fartones".
she also took me to a little place that served frozen horchata in fruit flavors, and it was just wonderful. i bought some chufa nuts while i was there, but i think i ate them before i got a chance to try to make any horchata on my own.

Does any know the name or where to find the pastry that cybercita mentioned?

Please don't tell readers that it is a Mexican drink. You do not have or show concrete proof of its origin. Please do the smart thing and just say it is good but do not attribute it to any one group unless you are 100% sure because otherwise you are giving credit where it is not due.

History of Ibiza
by Emily Kaufman

The History of Horchata

Island Map

LIVEIBIZA

ARCHIVE

Historical Information

Archaeology Conference
Balearic Autonomy
Ball Pagès
The Bells of Santa María
Christmas
El Pilar de la Mola
Funerary Rites
Horchata
The Industries of Yore
Music and Culture
Puig des Molins
Salt Pans
The Necropolis
Warfare in the Ancient World
Water
Light

Welcome to the lighter side of history. This week we will ponder the nature of summer refreshment in Spain and, in the process, hopefully learn something about the colonisation of the Western Mediterranean.

Point of Departure: Any 'Heladería'

Now that the warm weather is here, most of us, if we are honest, have been lured into an 'heladeria', enticed by the colourful array of creamy concoctions. There is no need to feel sheepish about admitting to this. Ice cream is a global affair, as inescapable as the 7 o'clock news. It is available in the seven continents, and, after bread, probably constitutes the most widespread manufactured food on earth.

But what many newcomers to Spain may not know is that Spanish ice cream parlours offer an additional sweet treat that is completely unique in Europe and dates back to the low Middle Ages, if not before. It is a drink called 'horchata'. The origin of this ancient beverage is somewhat of a mystery and still has not been traced with any high degree of accuracy - probably because the chroniclers of yore were too busy following the intrigues of state to notice what people put in their mouths.

What Is It?

Before we get started on the historical process, allow me a quick parenthesis to explain a bit about the drink and how it is made. Horchata is the milk of the 'chufa' or tiger nut - a.k.a. earth almond, earthnut, groundnut, rush nut or Zulu nut. It is actually not a nut at all but the small underground bulb or tuber of the chufa plant. The drink is made by soaking dried chufas in water and then pounding them to a pulp to release their milky white juice. (In the Modern Age, we forego the pounding and let our food processors do the work.) The mixture is then strained to eliminate the fibrous remains of the tuber, sweetened and chilled.

I will now attempt, in my own meandering way, to map out the path the tiger nut travelled in order to arrive in Spain, apparently its only European stronghold.

Egyptian Roots

The earliest evidence of the tiger nut dates back to ancient Egypt where trace remains of the tuber have been positively identified in burial tombs that were sealed as long ago as 3000 BC. These findings indicate that this foodstuff was held in enough esteem to be included among the grave goods of the noble classes. In ancient Egyptian belief, the primary purpose of organic funerary offerings was to sustain the departing soul through its long journey across the River Styx and into the afterlife. Seen in this light, chufa's presence in burial tombs is a testament to the high nutritional value which we are just beginning to realize is one of horchata's chief bonuses - along with its great taste, of course!

Greek References

A few millennia later, the Greek philosopher and natural scientist Theophratus (c. 372 - c. 287 BC) referred briefly to the tiger nut in his writings as a crop peculiar to Egypt, the root of which was prepared by boiling at length in barley water.

From this report one could assume that the tiger nut never made its way across the Mediterranean to Europe during antiquity but stayed on the southern side of the sea until a later date . . . unless, in the course of trade, the Phoenicians - merchant neighbours of the Egyptians and early colonizers of Spain - should have chanced to take some of the dried chufas to their outposts in Malaga and Cadiz. This happenstance would place the introduction of the tiger nut in Spain between the 8th and 6th century BC.

As remote as this possibility may sound (mostly because the Phoenician forte was commerce not agriculture), it intrigues me. More so, if we take into account that the Phoenicians were eventually supplanted in southern Spain by their brothers in race, the Carthaginians. Inspection of a map reveals that the capital of Punic Spain, Cartago Novo (or New Carthage) is just south of the only place in present-day Spain where chufa is commercially grown - Valencia.

Debate Goes On

In her book, 'The Wines and Food of Spain', Penelope Casas maintains that 'horchata de chufa' is undeniably of Arabic origin. Presumably, this means that it was introduced by the Moors during their occupation of Spain from the 8th to the 13th centuries.

However, if we really want to get picky, the term "Arabic origin" could be construed to mean two things. A very technical interpretation could imply that the nut may have spread Northeast from its ancestral home in Egypt to Damascus - ancient capital of the Islamic world and home of the fertile crescent - where growing conditions would have approximated those in the moist and fecund Nile delta. On the other hand, "Arabic origin" could mean that over the centuries the chufa plant spread westward from Egypt, travelled along the African littoral, and eventually took root in Morocco and Algeria from whence the brunt of Spain's Islamic occupation was launched.

As unlikely as the first scenario sounds, Damascus was in fact connected, if only briefly, to medieval Spain. The first 45 years of Moslem rule in Iberia is known as the Emirate of Damascus (711 - 756), a political situation which would have opened trade channels between the two countries, and perhaps led to the implantation of the tiger nut via the Middle East rather than North Africa.

Leaving improbable musings behind, the second scenario far outweighs the first for several reasons. To begin with, after the Iberian Moors cut ties with Damascus, they carried on ruling the peninsula from strictly local bases. As expert farmers, they were responsible for introducing rice to Spain, and consequently the rest of Europe as well. Rice and tiger nuts require similar growing conditions, a coincidence which argues for the simultaneous introductions of both crops. Not surprisingly, Valencia is also the rice capital of Spain. Moreover, rice was used interchangeably with chufa during centuries to make horchata.

Ironically, in recent years, the popularity of rice horchata in Spain has dwindled in favour of the chufa variety, while, in health food shops across Europe and America, rice milk (i.e. horchata) is the latest craze.

What's in a Name?

Often the etymology of a word will help dispel mystery regarding its origin. In this case it does not. But, now that the subject has been brought up, I might as well add a few findings. According to Raymond Sokolov in his article "Barley's Ghost" (Natural History magazine), the word 'horchata' derives from the Latin 'hordeum', meaning 'barley'. He states that, "In Spain the most venerable of grain drinks, barely tea of barley water, survives only as the name of a popular beverage called 'horchata'."

Here I must interject that I do remember a time when barely water (agua de cebada) was still available from street vendors in Madrid. Usually, it was mixed with delicious slushy lemonade in order to sweeten it, in the manner of a shandy. But that was long ago in 1980 when I first came to Spain.

Getting back to Sokolov's interesting research, we may deduce that a drink made from barley, common to the Roman world and its satellites, was eventually modified in Spain by substituting locally grown rice and chufa. Still, the definitive version of how the tiger nut arrived in Spain, and why it did not take root in any other European country, remains a matter of speculation.

Closing

Although we have not succeeded in unravelling horchata's distant origins, it is nonetheless possible to enjoy this intriguing drink in the here and now. Leave ice cream for the unenlightened and dare to try a truly ethnic concoction that might have been the potion of Pharaohs! You may even want to make it at home following this simple recipe:

Ingredients: I cup dry rice or tiger nuts, if available; water; sweetener of choice

Method: Soak the rice or chufas in one quart of cold water for 24 hours. Change the water, then mix both liquid and solids in a blender until the water becomes white and frothy. Strain, sweeten to taste, and chill.

Bottoms up! See you next week when we will get started on the Sant Joan celebrations.

Emily Kaufman

[email protected]

This drink is a mexican drink; it is also spanish, south/central American, and United States"ican". Saying that the first recipe by which it was produced, is the only way to produce real horchata, is akin to saying that the only "real" Car is a Ford, or the only real hamburger has Swiss cheese. The name may have been first used by one people, however Mexican Horchata is unique to Mexico and Central America in all but it's nomenclature. Spanish Horchata, is likewise unique. Heck, my grandmother swears that her recipe is the only "real" horchata, too. Open your minds folks; we have multiple types of consumer goods on the market, all claiming to be the one and only, but if you buy into that you miss out on a lot. The only sandwich that I eat is a burger; no subs, grinders, patty melts, etc... The only real spanish is castillian; everybody else speaks "improper" Spanish. You can make a million more egocentric arguments, but you'll miss out on a lot of food, products, and culture in general. All over a name...

I have a nice conical burr coffee grinder and tried to run the rice through it but it just jammed and got stuck. Oops.

the horchata's origin is from egypt not from mexico

Thank you for clarifying that Horchata is not a Mexican drink.

Not to be cliche, but what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...although perhaps in this case the problem is that there is only one name.

"As the drink was reinvented across Spanish-speaking countries, the name remained unchanged. There are no impostors among horchatas, just close relations on a tall family tree." (June 18, 2008 Washington Post article)

I hope you enjoy your 5 seconds of ego-inflating importance in "correcting" someone about the origins of horchata. Did Josh Friedland even delve into the origins of the drink? No, he merely said, "Mexican horchata". As there are different types of horchata (or orxata in Catalan), he probably said Mexican horchata to indicate his recipe was made with rice and almonds, rather than with chufas/tigernuts as is done in horchata/orxata in Spain or with morro seeds as done in El Salvador or with sesame seeds as done in Puerto Rico and so forth.

If you had actually read his blog without a self-congratulatory critical eye, you might have picked that up. Or you might have just enjoyed a great drink and a very nice blog entry that took some time to write and post.

We Sindhis make something similar: an almond milk made by blanching, skinning and then grinding almonds, allowing them to sit in water overnight for their "milk" to leech out, straining the mixture in the morning, and then flavoring it with saffron and sugar. I have had horchata de chufa in Barcelona horchata de almendra in Mexico and both taste overly sweet to me, but I like the cinnamon.

I tried horchaata in Valencia, Spain many years ago. I don't remember it having cinnamon.It was made from trufa nuts. My first impression was that it was very chalky and sweet. my second impression was that it was refreshing,cold and sweet. At the time I was looking for something non-alcoholic. You can buy trufa nuts for horchata from La Tienda.com and you can buy it made up in a bottle. I currently live in the southwestern U.S. and I see it in the supermarkets and at Mexican taquerias. The horchata that I have experienced here in the southwestern U.S. has cinnamon in it. I made it once with almonds and it was close in flavor and texture to that which I had in Spain. The version sold here in the southwest (has cinnamon)is especially good with spicy hot food.

Of course it's a Mexican drink – and a Spanish drink, and a drink in several other parts of the world, all of them good and all of them quite different. It is interesting that the drink in Valencia (which probably was originally an Arab invention) inspired the drink in Mexico, but that doesn't make the Mexican rice version any less authentic or any less original.

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All of the posts are interesting. I especially liked the inclusion of the research on Horchata from Spain. I feel like I want to be able to drink something that is delicious and refreshing, as well as non-dairy, which horchata seems to be -- and adding any history is certainly a plus! I have not read comparisons between the milk of the rice/almond recipe and the chufa nut recipe. Will somebody describe the taste/sensation differences? And any nutritional differences as well...It would help me know if I need to actually order some chufa nuts!

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Can't wait to make it. I lived in Mexico and it seemed to be more of a kid-drink to me, apparently I was mistaken. Of course it's ubiquitous in California Mexican food joints, but it's clearly not made from scratch when bubbling in a soda machine-type gizmo. Gotta try it from scratch!

Hey, guys and gals, lets let food being the place where jingoism is considered...distasteful. :)

This recipe is absolutely AWESOME!

I ended up using 2 2-inch cinnamon sticks, instead of just one. The entire process was a bit tricky for me (since I hardly ever cook or anything):

- it would be nice to have a larger blender; I have a 40oz blender, which wasn't quite big enough, I had to split up the mixture to blend it

- the cheesecloth was a bit tricky, it was a huge mess. I think with practice it will get better.

- the blanching almonds took a bit of time. Again, with practice it will be easier I bet.

Also, I found the leftover rice flour/cinnamon/vanilla/almond mix to be excellent for pancakes the next day. You need to add a bit of oil, milk and an egg.

Absolutely awesome recipe, I will definitely make this one again.

I made this and it tastes great! It takes a bit of time from start to finish, and it created a lot of dirty dishes for me, but I'm still glad that I made it, as it yields a large amount. I will probably make it again.

I also wish I had an extra large blender; as it was, I blended the soaked mixture, then moved everything to my food processor and added the sugar and more water. After the cheesecloth step, I added one cup of milk, just to make it creamier for my palate, but it tasted fine before that.

Jason, thanks for the tip for the leftover rice/almond mixture; I didn't know what to do with it, and didn't want to throw it out.

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I love this drink! My husband is from El Salvador and he drinks this all the time, its just that good! In El Salvador, the key ingredient in horchata is the morro seed! You can read more about the morro seed and horchata on my blog at:

http://www.postresdelacipota.com/2011/08/horchata-salvadorena.html

http://www.postresdelacipota.com/2011/08/morro-seed.html

Love your blog! Thanks for posting!!

Thank you so very much for taking the time to share…very useful, indeed!

well i dont think so but yeah i can smell it awesome ;-)

Grind the rice into a fine powder (a coffee grinder works perfectly). Remove the skins of the almonds by blanching them in boiling water: Drop the almonds in boiling water

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