Yellow Nutsedge Cyperus esculentus L.—Snack Food of the Gods¹

Abstract

No more the grassy brook reflects the day, But, chocked with sedges, works its weedy way; The Deserted Village, Oliver Goldsmith, 1770. Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.) is a perennial herbaceous sedge native to the eastern Mediterranean (Mabberley 1997; Tutin et al. 1980; Zeven and Zhukovsky 1975). Cultivated in ancient Egypt for its tasty and oil-rich tubers, the wild type has spread as a weed to all the continents of the world and adapted to climates from tropical to subarctic. Adaptability to many agricultural habitats and the great reproductive capacity of yellow nutsedge have propelled it to rank as the 16th worst weed in the world (Holm et al. 1991a, 1991b; Negbi 1992).

Hominins, sedges, and termites: new carbon isotope data from the Sterkfontein valley and Kruger National Park

“…Sedges are another potentially attractive C 4 source for a number of reasons. For one, sedges like Cyperus esculentus and C. papyrus have long served as foods for modern humans (Tackholm and Drar, 1973;Defelice, 2002). Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) have also been observed consuming the pith of aquatic plants (including sedges), although in small quantities (Doran and McNeilage, 1998).…”

Influence of different processing methods on proximate and anti- nutritional value of tigernuts (Cyperus esculentus L.)

“…It is an edible perennial grass-like C4 plant of the sedge family [3]. Tigernut is tuber usable grass and called chufa, nut grass, yellow nut sedge, earth almond, edible galingale and ground almond [4][5]. It is widely used for human and animal consumption as a nutritious food and feed in Africa, Europe and America [5].…”

Phytochemical Investigation and Evoluation of the Biological Effect of Cyperus Secondary Metabolites on Fertility in Male Mice

“…[6,7] Tubers of this plant are considered one of the earliest food sources known to humanity, where they have been documented to be cultivated by ancient Egyptians since 5000 BC. [6,8] These tubers are commonly known by several names such as chufa, earth almond, and tiger nut. C.…”