摘要：Cyperus esculentus L. is a kind of perennial grass-like plant native to Africa and Southern Europe which produces small sweet tubers called "chufa". The tuber has a taste typical of almond ör hazelnut. Chufa has a high content of starch (20.1 -41.7%), fat (20.9-30.2 %), sucrose (10.6-20.2 %) and crude fiber (5.1-15.1 %). They are used as human food in several countries around the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in Spain and eaten fresh, soaked in water, or dried and roasted. Also, it is used successfully as flavoring agents in the ice cream formulation. Sometimes roasted chufa is added to biscuit and other bakery products. But the best known application of the chufa in food industry is in the production of the "horchata de chufa". Chufa is only grown in the Institute of Çukurova Agricultural Research found in Adana, Turkey and not evaluated commercially.
