Nut Case

January 22, 2015

Co-founders George Papanastasatos and Mariam Kinkladze quality checking their tigernuts.

We’re going nuts over a nut that isn’t really a nut. Stick with us on this one.

Tigernuts: They’ve got nut in the name, but they are not technically a nut. They are actually tubers (like carrots or parsnips) that grow underground.

High in fiber and proteins, these sweet, slightly nutty tasting tubers put the super in superfood. Tigernuts have as much iron as spinach and as much potassium as coconut water. They are rich in oleic acid—the stuff we love in olive oil—as well as in vitamins C and E. These wrinkly little guys are the also a leading source of resistant starch, a pre-biotic fiber that fuels the good probiotic bacteria in your stomach.

Mariam Kinkladze discovered tigernuts in Niger while doing humanitarian work. Fascinated by how great she felt after eating them, she dove into research and testing and eventually founded Organic Gemini, which specializes in tigernut products.

Now you can head to the Meatpacking District’s Gansevoort Market (near the south entrance to the High Line), where Organic Gemini has set up its flagship booth.

We are huge fans of Kinkladze’s healthy version of horchata ($9); her chai version is sugar free and spiked with Ceylon (Sri Lankan) cinnamon and Himalayan pink salt. Anyone with gluten senstitvies or nut allergies should be psyched to discover tigernut flour ($13); it bakes up beautifully with a rich flavor reminiscent of chestnuts. Tigernut oil ($19) has a golden color, rich taste and can be used like olive oil. Pro tip: If you want to chomp on the tubers themselves ($6), try giving them a soak to soften up.

Organic Gemini
Gansevoort Market
52 Gansevoort St.
212-242-1701
organicgemini.com

superfood