THE TIGERNUT MILK - Ferran Adrià / Xavier Moret

The Angel of Gastronomy and Mr. Patanegra were having a walk for El Carmen district when the last one complains about the hot weather.

- Be patient Patanegra, be patient – say the Angel as an advice – God sends us the heat in summer for enjoying some unique drinks –

- Don’t tell me that we are going to enjoy another pair of cocktails? –

- Against the thirst, here in Valencia, the best is having a chilled tigernut milk –

- Are you sure Angel? I think tigernut milk is for children, it would be better a beer.-

- Everything has its moment and today is tiger nut milk’s moment –

The Angel takes Mr. Patanegra to a place where the tigernut milk is made and in which, above a marble bar, there is a huge and cold container with a lot of litres of tigernut milk.

- You must know, lucky mortal – The Angel says – that the tigernut milk is a unique drink, one of the most universal that exist. I don’t know any other similar. It’s made from the tigernut, an apparently simple tuber, like the potato, not in the size but in the form, texture and colour.-

- I have tasted tigernuts – points Mr. Patanegra – The truth is that I find them a bit dry and insipid.-

- That doesn’t happen when they are good ones – The Angel takes out some of them from his pocket like a magic trick – Have these, try them. They are very juicy, if you chew them all the flavour explodes in your mouth.-

Mr. Patanegra does what he says and nods.
- Observe Patanegra, there are two kinds of tiger nut, the “llargueta” (the long one) and the “armela” (the round one)- carries on the Angel- It’s sowing (April and May), like the kind of ground (flooding flow) and the extern factors (rain, wind, humidity, temperature) are very important in its cultivation, which is only developed in 16 areas of the L’Horta Nord.-

- Do you say that the tigernut milk is drawn from this? – Meditates Mr. Patanegra with the tigernut in his hand - ¿How is it made?, Could I make at home? –

- After the recollection, tigernuts are washed, and the ground, the stones and the hair are separated and then you leave them to dry for 3 months in a carefully and slowly way. In this process humidity decreases from 50% to 11%. To make the tigernut milk you have to leave the tigernuts soaking for 8 or 12 hours, shaking them sometimes and adding some new water. Then they are drained and grinded in a mill, adding simultaneously 3litres of water for each kilo of tigernuts. The mixture must be left to macerate and, by dint of pressing is obtained the first extract.-

- A lot of tigernuts shall be wasted-

- No it shall not, 2 litres of water are added for each kilo of residue, it’s pressed, sifted and mixed with the  one previously obtained.-

- And what is that sweetness?- asks Mr. Patanegra after trying it- I haven’t noticed it before trying the tigernut-

- Everything is completed adding 100 or 150 gr. of sugar for each litre.-

- Well, it’s very good- says Mr. Patanegra- Shall we have another one? I’ve seen that they serve it chilled as well.-

- Yes, but I prefer it when it is poured from one of this refrigerant recipients- says the Angel- This smell and taste are magic, so it is that tigernut flavour left at the end, it looks just like made in order to make you to have another one.-

- I want another one, let’s ask for it, there is no danger of getting drunk.-

- Enjoy mortal, enjoy, tomorrow we will have a good vegetable grill in Murcia.-

GENTE (PEOPLE)
Placeres (pleasures) – Ferrán Adriá / Xavier Moret
EL PAÍS