Cyperus esculentus, C. rotundus: Serious Sedges
There are two edible Cyperus locally: One that tastes like hazelnuts and one that smells and tastes to me exactly like Vic’s Vapor Rub. Guess which one I happen to find more often?
Chufa, Yellow Nut Sedge, Cyperus esculentus
Cyperus esculentus, the yellow nut sedge, is native to warmer parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It has been in use since ancient Egyptian times and is cultivated around the Mediterranean. The roots reach the size of hazelnuts and have a similar taste. They are excellent raw right out of the ground, boiled or roasted. Its tops are yellowish.
Cyperus rotundus, the purple nut sedge, is also edible raw but is laced with the VIC’s aroma which lessen on drying. However, before that they can be used as an insect repellant, a case of wear outside this week and eat inside next week. Its tops are purplish.
Chufa with nutlets
Chufa (CHOO-fah) Cyperus esculentus, the yellow nut sedge, is listed as a noxious weed in many places and difficult to control. It can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds per plant per season. Researchers say a single nutsedge can produce 1900 plants and 7000 tubers in a year. That’s a lot of food. And remember sedges have edges and these sedges have three sides, like a triangle. All sedge seeds are edible, according to Ray Mears and Gordon Brown.
In Egypt and the Mediterranean nut sedges were used as sources for food, medicine and perfumes. The tubers were usually roasted. Dried ground tubers were used to extend coffee and chocolate. Chufa oil was an ingredient in perfumed soap and a lubricant for fine machinery. The leafy parts were fed to livestock. A relative, Cyperus papyrus in Egypt, was the first source for paper there and is an escaped weed in many warm states. Here in Florida it is a common ornamental in water gardens. Interestingly, Chufas are very similar to olives in nutrition. The boiled nutlets are also good carp bait.
The genus name Cyperus (sye-PEER-us) is from Cypeirus which was the ancient Greek name for the plant. Esculentus (es-kyew-LEN-tus) means “edible” referring to the tubers. Rotundus (roh-TUHN-duh) means round.
Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile: Chufa
IDENTIFICATION: Cyperus esculentus: Annual monocot to three feet tall, solitary stems growing from a tuber, stems triangular bearing slender leaves one to three inches wide, flowers a cluster of flat oval seeds surrounded by four hanging leaf bracts at 90 degrees. Tough, fibrous, mistaken for a grass. It can be distinguished from other New World nutsedge by linear brown spiklets with overlapping scales
TIME OF YEAR: August to November
ENVIRONMENT: Old fields, cultivated ground, upland prairies, pond margins, stream edges, pastures, roadsides, railroads.
METHOD OF PREPARATION: Rub nutlet to loosen husk. C. esculentus edible raw or cooked. C. rotundus edible raw but better if allowed to dry a few days then consumed raw or cooked. Nutlets can be hard. Soaking in water eases that problem. All sedge seeds (on top) around the world are edible.
HERB BLURB
C. rotundus is used in Chinese medicine, especially pain associated with menstruation. It is also used for stomach aches and diarrhea, to treat impotence, bacterial infections, and dry or tired eyes. C. rotundus is also used as a diuretic and for high blood pressure. A paste of the plant is also spread on the skin as a bactericide and a fungicide to prevent infection of wounds. In two studies, compounds found in extracts from the root of C. rotundus were isolated and several have anti-malarial properties.
Awesome plant
After we rented a plot in the garden community and started working on it we realized it was extremely infested with nutgrass. We threw away several trash cans full of that nut stuff only to discover just recently on the internet that it was all edible ?! So now I am trying to figure out if I could cook it as beans maybe in stew ? Is there any nutsedge cookbook around ? Anyone that eats it ?
Its applications in Western Africa often encompass either paps(Think porridge) or beverages. The strained material after making beverages can be used with or without other flours in doughs for various uses.
Its amino acid profile is very complimentary to grain & legumes make a complete protein.
Soaking for atleast 6 hours reduces the level of tannins and phenols.
Hi There!
I am wondering if perhaps you could help me with something.
I am attempting to do a dissertation in Experimental Archaeology and I am doing experiments involving the use of Cyperus Rotundus and Juncus Odoratus. My issue is that they do not grow around where I am currently located… Sheffield UK. I am having a lot of trouble trying to get a hold of these I was wondering if it might be possible for you or someone to send me some of either of these plants so that I might be able to complete my dissertation.
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks for you time and the info above has been very helpful.
Regards,
Hannah
I wonder how this plants have the same use in my village in Nigeria as well as far away China. My grand parent told me they use it to cure importency and miscriages. It is near extinction everyone around here have turned to western drugs. If not for my project I would not have known.
I Love Chufa Tubers
I am interested in introducing this plant on my property as a food crop. If I harvest in the fall, what are good ways to save the tubers for consumption throughout winter? Drying in the sun, then storing in canning jars in a cool, dark place? Leave in the ground like sunchokes and harvest throughout the winter to use fresh? Your suggestions?
When you get the pods plant them.Next,get a pair of gophers.They spread the pods thru out your garden underground.
You might want to try growing them in contained areas, like large pots, or raised beds with thick (and I mean thick) membranes. Here in California we have lots of purple nutsedge and it’s been known to grow through the bottom of above ground pools. As-well-as spreads rapidly from your yard to all you neighbors yards in about 1 year. It’s very invasive.
I heard that cultivated Nutsedge in Spain was also the main ingredient in the popular creamy drink, Horchata. Which is by far one of my favorite imported Spanish drinks.
Does ergot stay with the seed heads or will it spread to the tubers?
My understanding is that it is topical.
The article mentions they are native to warmer northern hemispheres. Can they survive in zone 3a if certain precautions were observed, or is it not worth the effort?
My wife just finished taking a photography class about an hour ago. She took a picture of a sign that talked about Native Americans. The sign said carbon dating was done on some pots that were found and they were able to determine the food that was prepared in those pots. The carbon dating showed the pots were from around 200 bc and listed the food. One of the foods listed was Sedges. From the simple research I have done in the last hour, I believe (not 100% certain) that Sedges is the same as C. rotundus; or one of the two types listed in the article above. The picture was taken in Central Minnesota near an Indian Reservation. I would imagine if they can survive this far North, you might be able to find them in your location. The sign said Sedges was a staple of their diet. I believe we are also in Zone 3a or 3b.
Any harvesting tips?
Have a major problem with this product in western cape south Africa. Is anyone interested in marketing or exports. Thank you for your information very interesting.
We have a small local species which grows in some Pine Barrens lake beaches, especially sandy ones. It gets very tiny tubers that are almost sugary sweet inside, versus the weedy larger chufa I get in my garden and lawn that has tubers which are pretty bland.
So many people get bent out of shape trying to get this stuff out of their lawn… they are wasting all sorts of money killing off a good food!
Growing up in Hialeah Florida we often got a sweet drink from the local cafe and pastry down the street next to Sedanos Cuban based grocery store called Horchata. We never knew it was the Sedge nut weed that it came from. Now I know of its other qualities. If animals eat the green parts can we also eat or use it like they do when making wheat grass shots?
Well… animals often have different digestive systems than we do so they can eat some thing that might give us a tummy ache.
Hello! I know this post is coming well after the article is written – Green Deane, I LOVE your website and youtube videos! I feel like you were one of the first people to introduce me to the world of plant id (and now I work with plants full-time) Thank you 😀 I’m having a hard time identifying yellow nutsedge from others, like straw-colored flatsedge. Are there any dangerous Yellow/Purple Nutsedge look-alikes to be aware of?
Not that I am aware of.
Also an Ayurvedic Herb, Cyperus rotundus
http://www.atreya.com/ayurveda/Mustaka-Cyperus-rotundus.html
Some species are more red than ruby.
I have a lot of nutsedge coming up in my garden and I am excited to learn it is a wild food! I had just pulled up about half of it 🙁 but there is a lot more.
Do I harvest in autumn?
I’m a Botanist/Horticulturist who is currently growing C. esculentus (Chufa) in Virginia. There are selections which one should look for if attempting to grow it. “Barcelona” is the one I’ve planted. The tubers are a bit larger than wild ones I’ve seen. So far (Oct. 11, 2019), the plants have not produced flowers or seed, which is a big plus if you want to keep it from taking over.
Due to Vole predation, I’m harvesting the tubers before the plants die down. It’s Oct. and the tubers appear well-formed. The dried tubers can keep for several years, if not more, as long as they’re kept cool, e.g. refrigerated. Hardiness of this selection is unknown yet.
Immediately after harvesting, wash the tubers by scrubbing them together or shaking them with just enough water to let them move when agitated. Rinse and dry in the shade. The tuber size for the Barcelona selection averages 15mm to 2cm, with some larger. They are quite round, with a fairly thin skin.
Next step: Horchata!
Hi, I’m in ketucky so probably similar climate. I love tigernuts! I wanted to see if you were still enjoying this variety and where you purchased the seed?
Dear Mr. Deane; I’m a certified Herbalist and as I was researching another plant popular in eastern Canada when I came across your website. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of edible wild plants. I look forward to eventually acquiring your book in the not too distant future. Purchases of Sergei Boutenkos’ book entitled “Wild Edibles” were made (for friends + family members – great book that also includes recipes) but, it’s contents are best suited for those living in the western part of our continent. Thank you once again.