National Horchata Day – September 24, 2026

History of National Horchata Day

To fully immerse ourselves in this simply satisfying drink. We must gain some perspective on where this drink originated from and why it now has its holiday.

Horchata is now a very trendy drink in the U.S., and many believe its roots are Mexican but in actuality, it originates from West Africa, present-day Nigeria, and Mali where it was and still is popularly known as ‘kuunu aya.’ It dates back to as far as 2,400 B.C. It is speculated that during the Muslim conquest the Moors brought it to Spain. In the 11th century, it spread through Spain and Portugal and eventually got its name ‘horchata’ in Valencia.

Though the origin stories of this non-alcoholic drink may have African anecdotes, the tales of where the name came from make-believe that there might have been other cultures that were creating their version of this drink. Around the 16th century, the Romans were making their version of the milky drink. Instead of making it using the popular ingredients such as rice or Tiger nut — which in actuality isn’t a nut, the Romans made use of barley because at the time the grain was believed to have some medicinal properties. Romans milked the barley by soaking it in water, forming the base of the drink they called ‘hordeata’ which in translation means drink made from barley.

There’s another humorous version of how the drink got its name: In the 13th century, King James of Aragon was offered the drink by a little girl and upon tasting it he looked at her and asked in bewilderment what it was. The young girl replied, it was chufa milk, and he replied, “Això no es llet, això és or, xata!” “This is not milk; this is gold, my dear!” and that is where the name horchata originated.