Horseradish
Horseradish is a
perennial plant of the
Brassicaceae family, which includes
mustard and
cabbages. The plant is probably native to southeastern
Europe and western
Asia, but is popular around the world today. It grows up to 1.5 metres tall and is mainly cultivated for its large white, tapering root, although the leaves are also edible.
Its root is used as a
vegetable or ground in a
condiment called
prepared horseradish, and has at times been used as the bitter
herbs in the
Passover meal in some
Jewish communities. Horseradish, sometimes blended with
cream and called
horseradish sauce, is often served with roast or boiled
beef or
sausages, as well as smoked fish.
Encyclopedia
Horseradish is a
perennial plant of the
Brassicaceae family, which includes
mustard and
cabbages. The plant is probably native to southeastern
Europe and western
Asia, but is popular around the world today. It grows up to 1.5 metres tall and is mainly cultivated for its large white, tapering root, although the leaves are also edible.
Its root is used as a
vegetable or ground in a
condiment called
prepared horseradish, and has at times been used as the bitter
herbs in the
Passover meal in some
Jewish communities. Horseradish, sometimes blended with
cream and called
horseradish sauce, is often served with roast or boiled
beef or
sausages, as well as smoked fish. Horseradish is also used in some prepared mustards. Also, much of what is styled
wasabi is actually common horseradish dyed green.
The horseradish root itself has hardly any aroma. When cut or grated, however,
enzymes from the damaged plant cells break down sinigrin to produce
allyl isothiocyanate , which irritates the sinuses and eyes. Once grated, if not used immediately or mixed in
vinegar, the root darkens and loses its pungency and becomes unpleasantly bitter when exposed to air and heat.
Over one third of the United States production of horseradish is said to be grown in a small region around
Collinsville, Illinois in the
US, the self-styled "Horseradish Capital of the World", whence it is even exported overseas as a gourmet version of the product to places more renowned for consumption of the root. The biggest US production for domestic supply comes from Eau Claire,
Wisconsin.
History
Horseradish was cultivated in antiquity.
Cato discusses the plant in his treatises on agriculture, and a mural in
Pompeii showing the plant has survived until today. It is probably the plant mentioned by
Pliny the Elder in his
Natural History or "Natural History" is an encyclopedia [i] written by Pliny the Elder [i]. ...
under the name of
Amoracia, and recommended by him for its medicinal qualities, and possibly the Wild Radish, or
raphanos agrios of the
Greeks.
Both root and leaves were universally used as a
medicine during the
Middle Ages, and as a condiment in
Denmark and Germany. Before
pepper and
chiles became widely available, horseradish and mustard were the only sharp spices known in Europe.
William Turner mentions horseradish as
Red Cole in his "Herbal" , but not as a condiment. In "The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes" ,
John Gerard describes it under the name of
raphanus rusticanus, stating that it occurs wild in several parts of England. After referring to its medicinal uses, he says: "
the Horse Radish stamped with a little vinegar put thereto, is commonly used among the Germans for sauce to eate fish with and such like meates as we do mustarde."
It is still used this way in
Jewish and Romanian cuisine, where a sweetened horseradish-vinegar sauce called
chrain or
hrean traditionally accompanies
gefilte fish. There are two varieties of
chrain— "red" chrain and "white" chrain, i.e. mixed with or without red
beet. It is also popular in
Poland where it is called
chrzan. Having chrzan on the Easter table is a part of Polish
Easter tradition. Variety with red beet also exists and it is called
cwikla z chrzanem or simply
cwikla.
Origin of name
It has been speculated that the word is a partial translation of its
German name
Meerrettich. The element
Meer is pronounced like the
English word
mare, which might have been reinterpreted as
horseradish. On the other hand, many English plant names have "horse" as an element denoting
strong or
coarse, so the etymology of the English word is uncertain.
Modern uses
The American fast-food restaurant chain
Arby's uses horseradish in its "Horsey Sauce", which is provided as a regular condiment, alongside
ketchup,
mustard, and mayonnaise. This is not a common practice at its major competitors. In addition, the US fast-food outlet Popeye's serves "quarter pounders with 'radish," in its stores on the East Coast. The reason it doesn't offer this meal in its stores elsewhere is something of a mystery.
Horseradish sauce made from grated horseradish root and cream is a popular condiment in the United Kingdom. It is often served with roast beef, but can be used in a number of other dishes also.
Additionally, since real
wasabi is very expensive, even in Japan, most Japanese restaurants around the world actually serve a horseradish mixture that's been dyed green. Some imitation wasabi makers, such as S&B, give as the main ingredient of their product the Japanese name for horseradish: "western wasabi" .
The
enzyme horseradish
peroxidase, found in the plant, is used extensively in
molecular biology in
antibody amplification and detection, among other things. For example, "In recent years the technique of marking neurons with the enzyme horseradish peroxidase has become a major tool. In its brief history, this method has probably been used by more than have used the
Golgi stain since its discovery in 1870."
Nutritional value
Horseradish contains
potassium, calcium,
magnesium and
phosphorus, as well as volatile oils, such as mustard oil, which is antibiotic. Fresh, the plant contains 177.9 mg/100 g of
vitamin C.
See also
References
External links
