Uncover the rural heartland of Valencia and learn how the famous local horchata drink is made, on a tour steeped in history, agriculture and tradition.

Also known as orxata in the Valencian language, this natural white drink is refreshing, nutritious and delicious. Its main ingredient, chufas, or tiger nuts in English, are considered a "superfood" and are included in a variety of healthy diets.

Tiger nuts are the small dried tuber of a kind of sedge, a plant that looks like a type of grass. You'll walk through the chufa fields in the rural countryside, passing by a traditional thatched barraca farmhouse along the way. It's only a stone's throw to the north of Valencia city, but you'll feel like you're in a completely different world.

You'll see this fascinating crop first-hand, as the whole production cycle is explained by a local expert, from sowing and growing, to the harvest and drying in special traditionally-designed buildings.

No visit would be complete without tasting some of this wonderful drink, so you'll be treated to a freshly made horchata with the traditional accompaniment fartons, a type of sweet iced bun, all served to you at a scenic horchatería in the fields.

Fresh horchata by its nature does not store or travel very well, so at the end of this food tour you also have a fun, informative workshop, where you'll be taught how to make your very own fresh horchata back home, from dried tiger nuts. Kids can get involved too and it's a recipe you're sure to repeat!