Horchata-- what is a tiger nut, anyway? /Horchata--- ¿qué exactamente es una chufa?

Summer in Spain means the arrival of horchata, a creamy, delicious drink made from ground tiger nuts. I was going to post a warning about how this drink is not the same as the horchata made in Mexico and Mexican restaurants, which is rice-based, but then I did a bit of research and discovered that the main component is not a nut at all but the tuber of a tropical plant. My PA son has had some of this drink with no problem (obviously each person is different, but that has been our experience.)

However, I did see that there is a version made with hazlenuts (avellana), which I suspect is not very common, but you can always ask to make sure that you are getting horchata de chufas.

One thing to watch out for is anything that has the word "turrón." This is an almond-based candy that is a popular flavor in ice creams and other desserts. Speaking of ice cream, from what I hear, the only safe packaged ice cream-type treat for PA here is Calippo made by Frigo. I have contacted the company to double-check and I will post the response when I get it.

And as always, I'd love to hear from anyone dealing with peanut/ tree nut allergies here in Spain or elsewhere!

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Iba a avisar sobre la horchata, ya que la versión de aquí no es de arroz como en latinoamérica sino de chufas, los cuales se denominan "tiger nuts" en inglés, o "nueces de tigre." Sin embargo, he averiguado que la chufa es un tubérculo, y no un fruto seco, y por lo tanto se puede tomar, y de hecho mi hijo alérgico lo ha probabdo sin problema (claro, cada person es distinta, pero eso ha sido nuestra experiencia.)

También he oído sobre los helados que el único seguro para esta alérgia (en cuanto a los productos comerciales más habituales) es el Calippo de Frigo. He enviado un correo a la companía para comprobarlo, y avisaré de la respuesta cuando la reciba.

Y como siempre, me encantaría contactar con otros que viven con la alergía a cacahuete/ frutos secos aquí en España!