{{Short description|Sweet drink of Spanish origin}} {{About|the beverage|the song by Vampire Weekend|Horchata (song)}} [[File:Horchata de chufa 2.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|A glass of ''horchata de chufa'' with some ''fartons'' in Valencia]]
'''Horchata''' ({{IPAc-en|ɔr|ˈ|tʃ|ɑː|t|ə}}; {{IPA|es|oɾˈtʃata|lang|Horchata.ogg}}), or '''{{lang|ca-valencia|orxata}}''' ({{IPA|ca-valencia|oɾˈtʃata|lang}}), is a name given to various beverages that are generally plant-based but sometimes contain milk.<ref name="ocss"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Daily life and social customs |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Daily-life-and-social-customs |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=3 June 2022 |quote=''horchata'' (cold milk mixed with rice, cocoa, and cinnamon)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Farell |first1=Oriol Sans |title=The Milky Life: The Practical Guide on Lactose Intolerance |date=23 July 2015 |publisher=Editorial AMAT |isbn=978-84-9735-805-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2781CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT134 |quote=Horchata milk, in its natural form, should not contain lactose because it is a vegetable drink made from tigernut, water and sugar. However, manufacturers often add lactose to it to improve the product, so please read the label carefully to find out the list of ingredients before you drink horchata milk.}}</ref> In Spain, it is made with soaked, ground, and sweetened tiger nuts. In Mexico, it is made with rice, cinnamon and other ingredients and it is well known as a type of Mexican agua fresca.
==Etymology== The name probably derives from a Latin word for barley, the term {{lang|la|hordeata}}, which in turn comes from {{lang|la|hordeum}} (barley), related to a Mediterranean tradition of grain-based beverages.<ref name="Rios et al, 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Rios |first1=Montserrat |last2=Tinitana |first2=Fani |last3=Jarrín |first3=Pablo |last4=Donoso |first4=Natalia |last5=Romero-Benavides |first5=Juan Carlos |date=9 March 2017 |title="Horchata" drink in Southern Ecuador: medicinal plants and people's wellbeing |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=13 |issue=1 |at=article №18 |doi=10.1186/s13002-017-0145-z |pmc=5345160 |pmid=28279218 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The Italian and Maltese {{lang|it|orzata}} and the French and English ''orgeat'' have the same origin, although the beverages have diverged and are generally no longer made from barley.<ref>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}}</ref>
==History and composition== thumb|right|Traditional Valencian fridge {{lang|es|horchatera}} A barley drink originated in ancient Egypt, where the Romans got to know it as ''hordeata'', from the Latin word for barley, ''hordeum''. The main ingredient changed in time to tiger nuts, which were brought to the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century, during Muslim rule,<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Taseer|first1=Aatish|last2=Ruiz|first2=Stefan|date=2021-11-11|title=Tracing Mexico's Complicated Relationship With Rice|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/t-magazine/mexico-rice-conquest.html|access-date=2021-11-30|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and became a staple ingredient in the area of Valencia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kabir |first=Syed Rafid |date=2023-11-10 |title=Who Invented Horchata? Story of the Delicious Drink |website=History Cooperative |url=https://historycooperative.org/who-invented-horchata/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |language=en-US}}</ref> It is estimated that during the 11th century it began to spread throughout Hispania (now Spain and Portugal).<ref name="ocss">{{cite book|last=Goldstein|first=Darra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbi6BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA341|title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets|date=4 July 2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199313396|via=Google Books}}</ref> There are 13th-century records of an {{lang|es|horchata}}-like beverage made near Valencia,<ref>Clifford A. Wright, ''Mediterranean Vegetables'', 2012, {{isbn|1558325913}}, ''s.v.'' 'chufa'</ref> where it remains a common drink.
From Spain, the concept of horchata was brought to the Americas. Drinks called {{lang|es|agua de horchata}} or simply {{lang|es|horchata}} came to be made with white rice and cinnamon instead of tiger nuts.<ref name="ocss" /> Sometimes these drinks had vanilla added,<ref name="dietary_fiber_and_health">{{cite book|last1=Cho|first1=Susan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CWjNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA433|title=Dietary Fiber and Health|last2=Almeida|first2=Nelson|date=29 May 2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781439899373|via=Google Books}}</ref> or were served adorned with fruit.<ref name="ocss" /> Similarly, flavored plant-based beverages are sold in various parts of the world as varieties of {{lang|es|horchata}} or {{lang|und|kunnu}}.
==Varieties== ==={{lang|es|Horchata de chufa}}=== [[File:ManekiNeko horchata jar.jpg|thumb|upright|Two large jars of aguas frescas in a Seattle taquería. On the left is a jar of ''jamaica'', and on the right is a jar of {{lang|es|horchata}}.]] The drink now known as {{lang|es|horchata de chufa}} (also sometimes called {{lang|es|horchata de chufas}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/janegrigsonsbook0000grig|url-access=registration|quote=horchata (chufa OR tiger).|title=Jane Grigson's book of European cookery|first=Jane|last=Grigson|date=1 January 1983|publisher=Atheneum|isbn=9780689113987 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> or, in West African countries such as Nigeria and Mali, {{lang|und|kunnu aya}}<ref name="dfh">{{cite book|last1=Cho|first1=Susan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJdZI5WZ8k0C&q=%22kunnu%22+%22horchata%22&pg=PA433|title=Dietary Fiber and Health|last2=Almeida|first2=Nelson|date=29 May 2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781439899298|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="newmilks">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gAEODAAAQBAJ&pg=PR13|title=The New Milks: 100-Plus Dairy-Free Recipes for Making and Cooking with Soy, Nut, Seed, Grain, and Coconut Milks|first=Dina|last=Cheney|date=3 May 2016|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781501103940|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="fatflush">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk-ZDgAAQBAJ&q=%22kunnu%22+%22horchata%22|title=The New Fat Flush Foods|first=Ann Louise|last=Gittleman|date=19 May 2017|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=9781260012071|via=Google Books}}</ref>) is made from soaked, ground and sweetened tiger nuts.<ref name="ocss"/><ref name="spainonafork/horchata">{{cite web |title=Authentic Spanish Recipe - Horchata de chufa |url=https://spainonafork.com/authentic-spanish-horchata-recipe/ |website=Spain on a Fork |access-date=12 October 2022 |date=31 March 2018}}</ref><ref name="bake-street/horchata">{{cite web |title=Make horchata and fartons |url=https://bake-street.com/en/homemade-horchata-and-fartons/ |website=Bake-Street |access-date=12 October 2022 |date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
The Valencian or {{lang|es|Chufa horchata}} is made with dried and sweetened tiger nuts (''Cyperus esculentus'').<ref name="ocss" /> This form of horchata is now properly called {{lang|es|orxata de xufa}}.<ref name="ocss" /><ref name="dietary_fiber_and_health" />
It remains popular in Spain, where a regulating council exists to ensure the quality and traceability of the product in relation to the designation of origin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chufadevalencia.org |title=Consejo Regulador de la D.O. Chufa de Valencia. Horchata de Chufa de Valencia - Portada |publisher=Chufadevalencia.org |date=2002-12-31 |access-date=2014-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About us |url=http://en.chufadevalencia.org/ver/9/About-us.html |website=Tigernut of Valencia - Chufa de Valencia |access-date=12 October 2022 |language=en |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529143754/http://en.chufadevalencia.org/ver/9/About-us.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The majority of the Spanish tiger nut crop is utilised in the production of {{lang|es|horchata de chufa}}. Alboraya is the most important production centre.<ref name="fst">{{cite web |last=Leitch |first=James Muil |date=4 July 1967 |title=Food Science and Technology: Manufacture and distribution of foods |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9tJAAAAYAAJ&q=horchata+(%22chufa%22+OR+%22tiger%22) |publisher=Gordon and Breach |via=Google Books}}</ref> In total, sixteen Valencian municipalities grow tiger nuts protected by the quality seal, the only one that guarantees its Valencian origin, which in aggregate covered around 485 hectares of tiger nut fields, with an approximate annual production of 8,000 tonnes, which is normally all sold by the time it is harvested.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 June 2022 |title=Horchata de Chufa (Tiger Nut): The famous summer drink from Valencia |url=https://spanishclub.blog/horchata-valenciana-de-chufa-tiger-nut-the-famous-summer-drink-from-valencia/ |website=Spanish Club Blog}}</ref>
In rare instances, various forms of aflatoxin could be present in {{lang|es|horchata de chufa}}.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=na28BAAAQBAJ|title=Mycotoxins in Foodstuffs|first=Martin|last=Weidenbörner|date=24 January 2014|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9781461487272|via=Google Books}}</ref>
==={{lang|es|Horchata de arroz}}=== thumb|Hot {{lang|es|horchata}} in Mexico
{{lang|es|Horchata de arroz}} (es) is made of rice, sometimes with vanilla, and typically with cinnamon.<ref name="ocss"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Horchata-de-Arroz-Tostado |title=Horchata de Arroz Tostado (Toasted Rice Drink) |work=Saveur |date=25 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://elpais.com/gastronomia/recetas/2024-06-28/horchata-de-arroz-una-alternativa-facil-y-refrescante-a-la-de-chufa.html?outputType=amp|title= Horchata de arroz, una alternativa fácil y refrescante a la de chufa|language=Spanish}}</ref>
It is the most common variety of {{lang|es|horchata}} in Mexico.<ref>{{cite web | title=Horchata (Mexico) | Local Non-alcoholic Beverage from Mexico | url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/horchata-mexico }}</ref> In the United States, it is popular in {{lang|es|taquerías}} and Mexican ice cream shops.<ref>Emeril Lagasse, [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/horchata Horchata Recipe : Food Network] Taste of Mexico, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.marthastewart.com/1067306/horchata Horchata Recipe & Video] - Martha Stewart.</ref><ref>[http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2407-refreshing-rice-drink-horchata-de-arroz Refreshing Rice Drink: Horchata de Arroz] by Karen Hursh Graber 2003 (MexConnect).</ref>
In Alvarado, {{lang|es|horchata de arroz}} is scented with flowers of the Aztec marigold ({{lang|es|cempasúchil}} or ''Tagetes erecta'').<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55AERRMRXu0C&pg=PA130|title=Jarocho's Soul: Cultural Identity and Afro-Mexican Dance|first=Anita|last=Gonzalez|date=4 July 2018|publisher=University Press of America|isbn=9780761827757|via=Google Books}}</ref>
===''Horchata lojana''=== In Ecuador, {{lang|es|horchata}} is a vivid red-coloured infusion or tea, consisting of some 18–20 different plants and herbs, and is most famous in the province of Loja (hence its common name of ''horchata lojana'').<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Valarezo |first1=Eduardo |last2=Chamba-Lalangui |first2=Liliana |last3=Morocho |first3=Yoseph |last4=Armijos |first4=Chabaco |last5=Jaramillo-Fierro |first5=Ximena |last6=Cartuche |first6=Luis |last7=Meneses |first7=Miguel Angel |title=Study of the volatile compounds present in the traditional ecuadorian beverage horchata: Chemical composition and biological activity |journal=International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science |date=March 2024 |volume=35 |article-number=100880 |doi=10.1016/j.ijgfs.2024.100880 }}</ref> Some of the herbs frequently used are ''escancel'' or bloodleaf (a type of amaranth), ''achiote'' or annatto, hibiscus, lemon verbena, lemongrass, spearmint, peppermint, chamomile, lemon balm, and rose geranium, among others. It is not at all similar to the sweet, grain-based horchatas of other Latin American countries, but simply shares the same term.
The urban and rural populaces who consume this drink, notably in the Loja province, report improved overall well-being and cognitive benefits.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rios |first1=Montserrat |last2=Tinitana |first2=Fani |last3=Jarrín-V |first3=Pablo |last4=Donoso |first4=Natalia |last5=Romero-Benavides |first5=Juan Carlos |title='Horchata' drink in Southern Ecuador: medicinal plants and people's wellbeing |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |date=December 2017 |volume=13 |issue=1 |article-number=18 |doi=10.1186/s13002-017-0145-z |doi-access=free |pmid=28279218 |pmc=5345160 }}</ref> They also believe that this herbal infusion promotes a healthy digestive tract, improves focus and memory, and acts as an hepatic anti-inflammatory and a diuretic. There is valuable scientific evidence for the purported health benefits of each of these various ingredients—on their own and combined—including counteracting genotoxicity in the body, as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Duarte-Casar |first1=Rodrigo |last2=Rojas-Le-Fort |first2=Marlene |last3=Bailon-Moscoso |first3=Natalia |last4=Romero-Benavides |first4=Juan Carlos |title=Antimicrobials for Sustainable Food Storage |chapter=Antimicrobial activity and potential of the ingredients of horchata – a traditional southern Ecuadorian highlands herbal drink |date=2024 |pages=176–201 |doi=10.1201/9781003288503-12 |isbn=978-1-003-28850-3 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bailon-Moscoso |first1=Natalia |last2=Tinitana |first2=Fani |last3=Martínez-Espinosa |first3=Ruth |last4=Jaramillo-Velez |first4=Andrea |last5=Palacio-Arpi |first5=Alejandra |last6=Aguilar-Hernandez |first6=Jessica |last7=Romero-Benavides |first7=Juan Carlos |date=December 2017 |title=Cytotoxic, antioxidative, genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of Horchata, beverage of South Ecuador |journal=BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=539 |doi=10.1186/s12906-017-2048-x |pmc=5735544 |pmid=29258490 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Rios et al, 2017" />
==={{lang|es|Horchata de melón}}=== {{lang|es|Horchata de melón}} is made of ground melon seeds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Horchata-de-Melon |title=Horchata de Melón (Cantaloupe Seed Drink) |work=Saveur |date=25 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>[{{cite web |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/apr/29/heavenly-horchata/ |first=Adriana |last=Janovich |title=Heavenly Horchata |work=The Spokesman-Review |date=April 29, 2015 |location=Spokane, Wash. |access-date=September 2, 2025}}</ref>
===Horchata de morro or {{lang|es|Semilla de jicaro}}=== In the Central American countries of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica, {{lang|es|horchata}} refers to the drink known as horchata de morro or {{lang|es|semilla de jicaro}}. Its base is made by grinding jicaro seeds, locally referred to as ''morro'' seeds, with rice.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Spiegel|first=Alison|date=July 10, 2014|title=Why Horchata Is Your New Best Friend This Summer|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/horchata_n_5571070|access-date=September 5, 2021|website=HuffPost}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=August 10, 2017|title=Starbucks' Latest Frappuccino Takes Inspiration From Horchata Drinks|url=https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/new-starbucks-horchata-frappuccino-now-available/21228/|access-date=September 5, 2021|website=nbcmiami.com}}</ref>
In Nicaragua, it is also made with semilla de jicaro and rice as a base; these ingredients are toasted or dry-roasted, then ground into a fine powder. The powder is then mixed with water or milk, topped with ground cinnamon and, finally, sugar.<ref>{{Cite web|author-link=Clarissa Wei|last=Wei|first=Clarissa|date=November 9, 2015|title=A Taste of Nicaragua: Three Traditional Drinks|url=https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/11/9/9696230/chicha-maize-tiste-semilla-recipes|access-date=September 5, 2021|website=Eater}}</ref> Cocoa beans are sometimes added to the horchata, also toasted and ground with the base.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whats4eats.com/beverages/horchata-de-arroz-recipe|title=Horchata de Arroz Recipe (Latin sweet rice beverage)|date=July 11, 2008|website=Whats4eats}}</ref>
==Horchata as a flavor== [[File:Dough-Donut-Horchata.jpg|thumb|upright|A horchata-flavored doughnut]]
Horchata, as a flavor, makes appearances in ice cream, cookies, and other sweets, and other products such as RumChata, an alcoholic tribute to the beverage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Strom |first=Ray |date=December 28, 2012 |title=RumChata fights to protect trademark |url=https://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/archives/2012/12/28/rumchata-12-28 |url-access=subscription |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401011726/https://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/archives/2012/12/28/rumchata-12-28 |archive-date=April 1, 2023 |work=Chicago Daily Law Bulletin}}</ref> Some smoothie shops, cafés, and McDonald's in the U.S. have been experimenting with horchata-flavored frappés.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foodbeast.com/2014/05/12/mcdonalds-testing-horchata-frappes-in-southern-california/ |title=McDonald's Testing Horchata Frappes in Southern California |publisher=Foodbeast |date=May 12, 2014 |access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref>
==See also== * Agua fresca * Chicha * Orgeat syrup * Rice milk * Salep
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Sister project links |b=Cookbook:Horchata |commons=Category:Horchata |wikt=horchata |d=y |n=no|q=no|voy=no|v=no|species=no|s=no }} * [http://www.chufadevalencia.org/ The Regulating Council of Denomination of Origin "Chufa de Valencia"]: Quality council regulating tiger nut horchata in Valencia * [http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/nyc/14262/Horxata_introduces_real_Valencian_horchata_to_NYC.htm Article about Horxata, Ltd.]: Valencian Horchata in New York {{Milk substitutes}} {{Rice drinks}}
Category:Aguas frescas Category:Costa Rican drinks Category:Ecuadorian cuisine Category:Honduran cuisine Category:Malian cuisine Category:Mexican drinks Category:Nicaraguan cuisine Category:Nigerian drinks Category:Non-alcoholic drinks Category:Plant milk Category:Rice drinks Category:Salvadoran cuisine Category:Spanish drinks Category:Valencian cuisine