A “new” British vegan milk has sparked outrage among Spaniards in Valencia who claim its ingredients are based on a traditional drink called ‘horchata’.
The new drink named ‘Tigermylk’ is made of tiger nuts and in a promotional video it says that it is inspired by an “ancient drink” that has been “made for centuries in parts of Africa”.
But after going on the market, manager Joshua Coppersmith–Heaven confirmed he had been bombarded with messages from angry Spaniards accusing him of stealing their traditional drink.
He said that he tried to point out that it has a long history going back to ancient Egypt before moving over to West Africa where it is widely drunk. He also added that although he was aware of horchata he did not call his drink by the same name because they simply do not taste the same.
He said it would be a ‘disservice’ to name his drink after horchata which would also probably end up creating a similar row.
His promo video mentions the horchata, noting that it is different to the rice-based drink of the same name found in Mexico, and Spanish netizens were furious when they heard about the ‘rediscovery’.
According to local media, the ‘new’ vegan milk looks similar to the horchata even though it features several additional ingredients such as a sunflower oil and split peas and removes others including lemon and cinnamon.
The company is based in Bristol and ‘Tigermylk’ is sold only in a small geographical area around where he is based.
The “creamy and sweet” new drink costs vegan customers in the Bristol area around 2 EUR (1.7 GBP), and is delivered to the customer’s door by bike in returnable glass bottles.
Netizen ‘OlofPalme9’ commented: “This supposed new vegan milk has been drunk in Spain for at least 1,000 years.”
‘Coronel Blimp’ said: “How is this ‘new vegan milk’? B*stards, it is horchata!”
Horchata is a name given to various plant milk beverages of similar taste and appearance.
The Valencian horchata is made with dried and sweetened tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus). There are 13th-century records of a horchata-like beverage made near Valencia.
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Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
