Based on the the stories I’ve read – Little Spain published a partial history – horchata originally featured ground chufa (aka tiger nuts). The Moors brought chufa from North Africa to Spain, where horchata proliferated. My friend Randy Clemens tipped me off to a version made with tiger nuts in Madrid at Horchatería Alboraya, where a 3D mural depicts tiger nut farmers. By the time the drink reached the Americas, people naturally turned to local ingredients and spices to make horchata. In Los Angeles, horchata has become synonymous with the sweetened rice milk and cinnamon agua fresca that’s available everywhere from taqueria circulating dispensers, street stand jars, and high end restaurants. When The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada first opened, Joseph Cordova made a Central American style horchata with ground morro seeds from a calabash gourd at his Los Feliz taqueria. No longer. All of my current picks for Los Angeles horchata worth seeking combine rice milk, cinnamon and sugar. I’ll keep looking for different versions. Do you have any horchata recs?

Carnes Asadas Pancho Lopez Strawberry Horchata – Lincoln Heights ↓

Crème Caramel LA Dirty Ube Horchata – Sherman Oaks ↓

Ditroit Taqueria Amaranth Horchata – Arts District ↓

Guelaguetza – Koreatown ↓

Guisados – 9 L.A. County Locations ↓

Loqui Horchata – Culver City, DTLA, Playa Vista + Woodland Hills ↓

Salazar Horchata – Frogtown ↓

Tierra Mia Coffee Rice & Beans Frappe – 17 L.A. County Cafes ↓

Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts Date Sweetened Horchata – Hollywood ↓