Nuts

Skin

Tiger Nut skin, or pellicle, is the thin seed coat on the kernel of the sweet tuber of Cyperus esculentus, also called chufa—not a true tree nut after shelling. It holds tannin, colour, and a mild bitterness that can help rustic baking or hinder pale confectionery. Against the sweet interior, skins add astringency around a core flavour of sweet, coconut-almond-like, and crunchy when dried. Blanching or roast-and-rub methods remove skins when a cleaner look is required. Leaving skins on increases flecks in meals and cookies. Species process habits: soak dried tubers for drinks; mill for flour; not shelled like tree nuts. Botanically a tuber—important for allergy communication even when sold beside nuts. Skin-on or skin-off, the allergen picture is still not a tree nut botanically but label for cross-contact and personal allergy histories. For fine pastes, skin specks dull colour; for whole-food butters, skins are often retained. Do not confuse seed skins with hard outer shells—the techniques differ completely. Removed skins are usually discarded or composted in home kitchens.