Comments on: Agua Fresca 12: Horchata de Cebada (Barley)

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:33:07 +0000

Lovely.

By: brit

brit — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000

where I’m from in Long Island there is a restaurant which has pink cebada. (it’s incredible!!) Definitely not red but…definitely pink! haha

By: arana

arana — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:06:27 +0000

red horchata?????
now that seems odd since rice is white :s
i wouldnt dare to try anything called horchata in red color!!!

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:30:07 +0000

It’s interesting because at the biggest Super here in San Diego – they offer prepared Agua de Cebada that is tinted red. Almost the same color of the horchata you seem to get in GDL. In their aisles they have a Central American section with a cebada instant powder from El Salvador, again red.

The best agua de cebada I have had comes from my favorite restaurant in the world – a Mariscos puesto in Ensenada – but it seems much more milky-er than your photo, Rachel.

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:24:13 +0000

Judith, no it’s not. They are both part of the same tangled story but English barley water is still barley and French orgeat is as you say now an almond-flavored syrup.

By: Judith Klinger

Judith Klinger — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:26:43 +0000

I was recently doing a little research on orgeat syrup (essentially an almond syrup with a little orange or rose water), and some of the sources site orgeat as originally being French ‘barley water’, and somewhere along the line, the French started adding almonds for flavor and eventually eliminated the barley altogether.
So, is English barley water different from French barley water?