 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 (five feet) tall and is mainly
cultivated for its large white, tapering
root, although the leaves are also edible.
also see:
Horseradish Recipes
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 (a glucosilinate) to produce allyl
isothiocyanate (mustard oil), 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 two thirds of the world's 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 Silver Springs in Eau
Claire, Wisconsin.
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It has been
speculated that the word is a partial
translation of its German name Meerrettich.
The element Meer (meaning 'ocean, sea',
although it could be derived from the
similar sounding Mähren, the German word for
Moravia, an area where the vegetable is
cultivated and used extensively) 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 (which is attested in
print from at least 1597) is uncertain.
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.
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 (HRP) has become a major tool. In
its brief history, this method has probably
been used by more neurobiologists than have
used the Golgi stain since its discovery in
1870.
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 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" (1551-1568), but not as
a condiment. In "The Herball, or Generall
Historie of Plantes" (1597), 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.
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. |
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