Horchata

This article is about the beverage. For the song by Vampire Weekend, see Horchata (song).
Two large jars of aguas frescas in a taquería in Seattle, Washington, USA. On the left is a jar of Jamaica and on the right is a jar of horchata. Restaurant employees serve the drinks by ladling them from the jars into glasses.

Horchata (/ɔːrˈɑːtə/; Spanish: [orˈtʃata]), or orxata (Catalan pronunciation: [oɾˈʃata]), is the name of several kinds of traditional beverages, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, or tigernuts (chufas).

Etymology

The name derives from Valencian orxata, probably from ordiata, made from ordi (barley) (Latin *hordeata < hordeum). The Italian orzata, the French and English 'orgeat' and the Surinamese Dutch orgeade have the same origin, though the beverages themselves have diverged, and are generally no longer made from barley.[1]

Various false etymologies exist – one legend links the origins of the name to James I of Aragon, who after being given the drink for the first time by a local in Alboraya, was said to have exclaimed in Valencian "Açò és or, xata!" ("That's gold, darling!")[2][3]

Spain

A glass of horchata in Spain

In Spain, it usually refers to orchata de chufa (horchata de chufa), made from tigernuts, water, and sugar.

Originally from Valencia, the idea of making horchata from yellow nutsedge (tigernuts) comes from the period of Muslim presence in Valencia (from the eighth to 13th centuries).

It has a regulating council[4] to ensure the quality of the product and the villages from where it can come, with the Designation of Origin. The village of Alboraia is well known for the quality of its horchata.

It is served ice-cold as a natural refreshment in the summer, often served with fartons. Tigernut horchata is also used instead of milk by the lactose-intolerant.

Latin America

hot Horchata in Mexico

Horchata varies in taste across Latin America.

While in some countries the drink is usually tan and "milky", some recipes call for milk, and others do not. Other ingredients often include sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Though horchata was once typically homemade, it is now available in both ready-to-drink (shelf-stable or refrigerated) and powdered form in grocery stores. Horchata, together with tamarindo and Jamaica, are the three typical drink flavors of Mexican aguas frescas.

United States

See also

References

  1. Lobscouse & Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels : Grossman, Anne Chotzinoff; Thomas, Lisa Grossman ISBN 0-393-04559-5
  2. Valencia & the Costa Blanca, Miles Roddis, Lonely Planet, 2002, ISBN 1-74059-032-5 Google Books
  3. MTV Spain, Fernando Gayesky, Elizabeth Gorman, Kristin Luna, Andre Legaspi, Frommer's, 2007, ISBN 0-7645-8772-2 Google Books
  4. "Consejo Regulador de la D.O. Chufa de Valencia. Horchata de Chufa de Valencia - Portada". Chufadevalencia.org. 2002-12-31. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  5. "McDonald's Testing Horchata Frappes in Southern California". Foodbeast. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

External links

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