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Similar Yellow Nutsedge, Aguas frescas, Carne asada, Fartons, Tamale | ||
How to make horchata a refreshing mexican rice drink with cinnamon by rockin robin
Horchata (/ɔːrˈtʃɑːtə/; [orˈtʃata]), or orxata ([oɾˈʃata]), is the name of several kinds of beverages, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, tigernuts (chufas), or melon seeds.
Contents
- How to make horchata a refreshing mexican rice drink with cinnamon by rockin robin
- Agua de horchata mexican style how to make it
- Etymology
- Spain
- Latin America
- United States
- References
Agua de horchata mexican style how to make it
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.
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!")
Spain
In Spain, it usually refers to 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 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
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.