2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Syt edible, or Chufa (lat. Cyperus esculentus) - a herbaceous edible perennial plant, a representative of the genus Syt (Latin Cyperus) of the Sedge family (Latin Cyperaceae). It stands out among its relatives for edible nodules with a pleasant taste, which are formed on the roots of the plant. Scientists suggest that our distant ancestors, who lived on the planet 2 million years before our birth, ate exclusively Chufa tubers, only occasionally diversifying their diet with other edible herbs. Syt edible or Chufa was a popular food in Ancient Egypt, and today its cultivation has moved a little further north, to some Mediterranean countries.
What's in your name
On the Latin specific epithet "esculentus", the Google online translator gave the phrase "very tasty". Botanists assigned this epithet to one of the species of the genus Syt (Latin Cyperus) for its small nodules, similar in size, shape and pleasant taste to nutritious nuts rather than underground tubers of vegetable crops.
No wonder the official botanical name of the plant, translated into Russian as “
Si edible", There are many popular names that equate pleasant-tasting nodules with nuts:"
Ground almonds », «
Tiger nut »And the plant also has a short and sonorous name -
Chufa, the roots of which, most likely, stretch from time immemorial.
Description
The basis of perennial edible food is a complex system of the underground part of the plant, consisting of numerous thin rhizomes, a branched system of roots and small nodules formed on these roots. The nodules have an oblong shape with a width of 0.5 to 1 centimeter and a length of up to 3 (three) centimeters and are colored from light brown to dark brown with a shade of pink or yellow. The nodules taste pleasantly sweet, with a nutty aroma, crunchy like tough nuts.
From the tubers to the surface of the ground, short, straight, thin stems rise, with a triangular cross-section characteristic of plants of the sedge family. Rigid leaves of a linear shape surround the stem in numerous bunches, the height of which varies from 30 to 90 centimeters.
Flowering that occurs only in warm climates is of no decorative value. Bisexual small flowers form inflorescences-umbrellas, which for their pollination resort to the help of the wind. The absence of flowering in areas with a temperate climate, in which subzero temperatures do not fall below the thermometer mark of minus 5 degrees Celsius, does not interfere with the formation of nodules on the roots of Chufa, for which the plant is grown.
Despite the fact that Earthen almonds do not impose high requirements on the soil, loose fertile soils with good drainage are much better suited for harvesting a decent harvest, which protects the roots from destructive dampness.
Chemical composition of nodules
The edibility and sweetish-nutty taste of nodules are provided by the content of such familiar components as protein, starch (one fifth of the content), fats (making up a quarter of the content), sugar (with an emphasis on the last letter "a", a little more than a quarter of the total composition).
Use in human nutrition
The use of Chufa in the human diet has been known since ancient times, as evidenced by archaeological excavations and written evidence of Ancient Egypt.
They can be eaten fresh, or fried for larger cimus. Crushed nodules are used to improve the taste of confectionery, for example, they are added in the manufacture of halva, for the manufacture of soft drinks, as a substitute for coffee beans.
Oil from Chufa nodules is not inferior in quality to olive oil.
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