• Tiger nuts and its Benefits

    Everyone in Nigeria grew up eating Tiger nuts. Ok that is an assumption but for most people we grew up eating it and we even called it “ofio” I think that’s the spelling. The mallams or abokis as people like to call them always hawked these yellow nuts in a wheelbarrow around the streets of Lagos, selling out one cup at a time. Anyway, it always came out a few weeks to rainy season. At least I always remembered eating it around March. Tiger nuts has a lot of benefits that we do not even realize and I’m increasingly realizing that a lot more can be done with it apart from chewing and spitting it out or swallowing it for the fiber property. I made some tiger nut milk by blending the tiger nuts and squeezing the juices out of it the same way you would do with coconut. This could be used in many desserts as it would add a different level of flavor to it. There are a few benefits of tiger nuts that I know and you can find them below;

    Benefits of Tiger nuts

    • It has the ability to help you get rid of excess fluid in the system thereby helping you lose water weight.
    • It helps soothe the gums if you have ulcer of the gums
    • It has a great anti-inflammatory property. It helps reduce inflammation in the body. It is especially good for people with arthritis or people suffering from gastro intestinal tract inflammation.
    • It also has great protein content and is a good source of vitamin E and we all know the benefits of Vitamin E.
    • It contains great minerals like Iron and potassium and Iron is especially important for women so please take note.

    tiger nuts or ofio

    See Kunun Aya Recipe

    Side note from some Twitter followers:

    *It’s called ‘aya’ in northern Nig. Many believe it’s an aphrodisiac, thus it mostly prepard for new brides esp.

    *in Ghana we call it “esuro wisa” (Twi). Apparently it’s a sexual stimulant. Think of the West African version of Viagra LOL

    *Another Ghanian says it is called Atta dwe

    40 comments on “Tiger nuts and its Benefits”

    1. jemimahnaa Reply

      I absolutely love Ofio!ate it a lot as a child in Lagos,I rediscovered it as an adult in the North,its known as ‘aya’ here.they have d wet one and d dry one and sometimes the dry one (looks shriveled & is a dark brown in color) is rolled in sugar.they also sell ‘kunu da aya’ (the juice from the nuts).I’m gonna b eating and drinknn more of aya n its derivatives!tnx 4dis post ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. nwando7 Reply

      I just found out that tiger nuts are the same as “aya” (its hausa name). I use to eat the roasted and sugared form as a child. In the north, the fresh one is used to make a milky drink “kunun aya” basically done by grinding it, sieving it and adding sugar. I cant quite remember if the resulting milk is boiled.

    3. Lady ID Reply

      I don’t think I’ve eaten or seen this. Is there a Yoruba name that I might recognise. I’ll have to ask my mum.

    4. rere Reply

      i ate a lot of “ofio” way back in primary school, i still have cravings for it sometimes especially when i sight them in an aboki’s wheelbarrow. Now that i know some of the benefits i wish they will start to sell them in the stores around , the wheelbarrow is usually a turn off. Btw thanks i didn’t know the english word for it until now *wink wink*

    5. SILVA Reply

      actually eating one as i read all dis and it soothing to know i aint just burning ma jaws over nothin(men its hard to chew how come no one mentioned that)

      • SILVA Reply

        Still ate some today…not so dry ones though…still gat some in ma handybag……fast becoming an addixt ( any rehab for it plzzzzzz *winks*

      • SILVA Reply

        yea it called tiger nut rice in english, looks good, taste good. as a matter of fact, ma elder sis who just loves to cook was in a competition last month, guess what she made, tigernut rice ofcourse….n one she called beans spilaff…….so go on , …n plzzzz invite to hAVE A TASTE

      • afrolems Reply

        Some people convert the chaff of tigernut to flour and use it to bake so should be safe to consume. Please ask a professional

    6. Dimeji Reply

      This blog is one of the greatest est discoveries that I made in 2016. Thanks for the insight on Tiger nuts. The Yorubas (South West Nigeria) call it Ofio

    7. Kenneth Reply

      I just came across a woman selling Offio milk, and her persuasions made me buy it after I thought it was kunu. It tastes great anyways. However, I never knew its called Tiger nut in English

      • afrolems Reply

        I dont follow the keto diet so I cant say for sure but if you are allowed to drink non-dairy milk then tiger nut is non-dairy

    8. James Reply

      A friend at the office and I discussed about ofio this afternoon. She narrated a recent experience when she ate it and it brought her significant relief from stomach pain. She was of the opinion that Ofio seem to have anti-inflammatory properties and can relieve ulcer and that it acts like a natural antacid. We decided to search for it and its health benefits on the internet. Your write-up Just confirmed her opinion.

    9. Peter Reply

      Nice piece, but is there a way of preserving the milk, because I tried refrigerating it but it got spoilt after some days. Please Iโ€™ll like to know if thereโ€™s a known preservative. Thanks

    10. Peter Reply

      Nice piece. Please is there a way to preserve the milk so it stays longer for up to two weeks. I tried refrigerating mine but it went bad after 3 days. Please may l know if there a preservative Ivan use. Thanks

    11. Pingback: Comment on Tiger nuts and its Benefits by Peter - Pootaa

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