Calorie content, the main useful components that make up the chufa nut. What role does it play in the health of the body and who should not eat it. A product in cooking: how it is eaten and what dishes it is added to. In addition, it should be noted that earthen almonds generally have a beneficial effect on the body, improving immunity, restoring vitamin and mineral deficiencies and increasing resistance to certain diseases. Due to its high nutritional value, the product is recommended for people whose diet is limited for any reason, for example, vegetarians.
Contraindications and harm of peanuts
So, as you can see, the nut has a lot of useful properties, however, unfortunately, not everyone will be able to appreciate their effect on themselves. The fact is that, like any other product, chufa has contraindications, and although there are few of them, it is still necessary to take them into account.
First of all, it should be said that earthen almonds are strictly prohibited for use by people with liver diseases. Care should be taken to eat the fruit for those who are overweight and / or tend to be overweight. Since this product is still unusual for the inhabitants of our country, it is worth introducing it into the diet, carefully monitoring the reaction of the body, for allergy sufferers, women during pregnancy and lactation, as well as young children.
Finally, it should be noted that for all people there is a fine line between the benefits and harms of the peanut chufa. Since it is still very high in calories, its consumption should be dosed reasonably; when overeating, you may feel heaviness in the abdomen and other unpleasant symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract.
Note! If you have any health problems, before using chufu, be sure to consult your doctor.
Chufa nut recipes
So how is chufu eaten as a stand-alone product? The nucleolus is either eaten raw (in this case, we recommend pre-soaking the fruits in water to make them softer and tastier), or it is pre-fried. Peanuts can also be added to various dishes. Their taste is very much reminiscent of almonds, which means that chufu can be added to all recipes in which this more familiar nut appears. It can be chopped up and added to salad, porridge, or light cream soup to enhance the nutritional value and benefits of these dishes. By the way, if you add nuts raw, you will get the maximum benefit. Also, chufa is, of course, simply an irreplaceable ingredient in the preparation of baked goods and confectionery - chocolate, sweets, halva, etc. It goes especially well with vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and lemon zest.
We have collected for you several successful options for using chufa in recipes:
- Red fish salad … Soak raisins (30 grams) in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Peel the grapefruit (1 piece), only the pulp is needed, all films are removed. Lightly fry the chufu (30 grams) in a skillet. In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice (half of the fruit), olive oil (50 ml), sugar (1 teaspoon), salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the dressing - it should thicken. Peel the carrots (1 piece), cut into thin "ribbons" with a vegetable peeler, and marinate in the dressing for 15 minutes. Cut the red fish into thin slices (100 grams). Now you can collect the salad, first lay out the fish plates, then grapefruit on top - if you want, you can cut it, but in the original recipe, exactly the slices are required. Add carrots, raisins, nuts, pour in the dressing, stir. Garnish the salad with poppy seeds and a sprig of tarragon.
- Homemade pasta with original sauce … Combine flour (3 cups), salt (pinch), butter (60 ml), eggs (3 pieces) and water (300 ml). Knead the dough for 7-10 minutes - if necessary add flour or water, wrap in plastic and leave for an hour. Divide the dough into six parts and roll a thin sausage from each, about 5 mm thick. In turn, cut the sausages into pieces of 5-7 centimeters. Finally, wrap each such piece around a skewer to form a spiral and remove. Boil the resulting paste in salted water for 8 minutes. In the meantime, tackle the sauce. In a blender, combine tomatoes (600 grams), basil (50 grams), grated Parmesan (90 grams), butter (60 ml), raisins (2 tablespoons), capers (2 tablespoons), canned anchovies (3 pieces), chopped garlic (2 cloves) and chufa nuts (150 grams). Add salt to taste. Eat pasta with sauce - the amount cooked is enough for a few good servings.
- Brownie with cinnamon … Melt the chocolate (220 grams) and butter (120 grams) in a water bath. Beat eggs (3 pieces) with sugar (120 grams), mix them with flour (60 grams) and cinnamon (half a teaspoon). Pour the chocolate-butter mass and nuts (100 grams) into the dough. Heat the oven to 180 degrees, grease a baking dish with butter, pour the dough into it. Cook the brownie for 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and when the dessert has cooled slightly, cut it open and put it in the refrigerator until it cools completely.
- Vegan candy … Grind dates (200 grams), walnuts (50 grams) and chufa nuts (30 grams) separately in a blender - if the machine is powerful, you can mix together. Make a dough out of dates and nuts, then form into small candy balls and dip each in cocoa (about 2 tablespoons will be needed).
It should be noted that the chufa peanut is especially prized in Spanish cuisine. Not only is it used everywhere, it is also invented not quite standard use - light cream and ice cream, flour, a surrogate for cocoa and coffee are made on the basis of the fruits.
Earth Almond Drink Recipes
Also in Spain, drinks are made from walnuts - ordinary vegetable milk, a drink called horshad.
How to prepare drinks from chufa? Very simple:
- Ground almond milk … Pour nuts overnight with water, rinse in the morning and transfer to a blender, an approximate proportion - 1 part nuts to 4 parts water. Turn on the blender for 30-40 seconds. Strain the resulting mass, and you're done! This vegetable milk can also be used like ordinary cow's milk - to cook porridge on its basis, add to coffee, but it is best to make a healthy smoothie cocktail from it by whisking it in a blender with your favorite fruits.
- Orshad … This chufa drink is almost a national treasure of Spain. It is prepared on the basis of nut milk, and it is very simple. Classically, various spices are simply added to milk - cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, etc., as well as honey or sugar to taste. But on the Internet, you can find a more original recipe. For example, this: grind rice (8 tablespoons) in a coffee grinder, transfer to a jar, pour nuts (1 cup) on top, lemon zest (from one fruit), cinnamon (half a teaspoon), pour water (3 cups). In the morning, punch the mixture in a blender, filter and add sugar (1 cup) and vanilla to taste. If the drink is too thick, you can add water.
It's funny that in Spain there is even a special holiday dedicated to the Horchad, where fun reigns and a healthy drink flows like a river.
Interesting facts about peanuts
A number of researchers claim that the chufa nut was the basis of the diet of ancient people - zinjanthropus, who inhabited our land about 2 million years ago. In the West, culture was known back in the days of Ancient Egypt, and this is a proven fact, in contrast to the first, which is more a guess. The plant came to Russia only at the end of the 18th century, and in our country it was known under the names "winter house" and "feed".
In general, it is very curious that each nationality seeks to give culture a special name of its own. So, in Portugal it is called "tuberous grass", and in Arab countries - "sweet root".
Mystical properties are attributed to peanuts; it is believed that evil spirits do not transfer it to the spirit. Esotericists recommend using the plant to clean the aura of the room, as well as plant it around the house, so that calmness, harmony and tranquility always reign in it.
The culture is considered very fruitful - one plant contains from 300 to 1000 tubers.
The most useful oil is made from nuts, which surpasses olive and other healthy oils in quality and safety for the body. True, it has found great application not in cooking, but in cosmetology, it is noted that it has an incredible effect on the skin.
It is noteworthy that the cultivation of a peanut chufa is not a tricky business. The culture is not picky and grows well in our climate.
Watch a video about the chufa peanut:
Chufa is a healthy fruit that tastes very much like almonds. It is highly nutritious and has a beneficial healing effect on the body. Unfortunately, in our country it is not easy to find peanuts, but in Spain and the Mediterranean countries it is widely used in cooking. If you ever get a chance to buy earthen almonds, be sure to use them, just before eating an exotic fruit, do not forget to familiarize yourself with its contraindications.
