Armoracia rusticana
Horseradish (
Armoracia rusticana, syn.
Cochlearia armoracia) is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli and cabbage). It is a root vegetable used as a spice and prepared as a condiment.
The plant is probably native to southeastern Europe and western Asia. It grows up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall, and is cultivated primarily for its large, white, tapered root.
The intact horseradish root has hardly any aroma. When cut or grated enzymes from the now-broken plant cells break down sinigrin to produce mustard oil, which irritates the sinuses and eyes. Grated mash should be used immediately or preserved in vinegar
for best flavor. Once exposed to air or heat it will begin to lose its
pungency, darken in color, and become unpleasantly bitter tasting over
time.
After the first frost in autumn kills the leaves, the root is
dug and divided. The main root is harvested and one or more large
offshoots of the main root are replanted to produce next year's crop.
Horseradish left undisturbed in the garden spreads via underground
shoots and can become invasive.
Older roots left in the ground become woody, after which they are no
longer culinarily useful, although older plants can be dug and
re-divided to start new plants.
The early season leaves can be distinctively different, asymmetric
spiky, before the mature typical flat broad leaves start to be
developed.
History
Horseradish has been cultivated since Antiquity. According to Greek mythology, the Delphic oracle told Apollo that the horseradish was worth its weight in gold. Cato discusses the plant in his treatises on agriculture, and a mural in Pompei shows the plant. Horseradish 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. The early Renaissance herbalists Pietro Andrea Mattioli and John Gerard showed it under raphanus. Its modern lonnean genus
Armoracia was first applied to it by Heinrich Bernhard Ruppius in his flora Jenensis 1745, but Linneaeus himself called it
Coclearia armoracia.
Medicine
Both root and leaves were used as a medicine during the Middle Ages both in fol medicine and in traditional medicine , fx as a means against fever. As a means against gouts a poultice with horseradish was placed upon the sick joint.
Kitchen
The root was used as a condiment on meats in Germany, Scandinavia, and
Britain. It was introduced to North America during European
colonialization; both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson mention
horseradish in garden accounts.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:
"[T]he Horse Radish stamped with a
little vinegar put thereto, is commonly used among the Germans for sauce
to eat fish with and such like meats as we do mustard."
The word
horseradish is attested in English from the 1590s. It combines the word
horse (formerly used in a figurative sense to mean strong or coarse) and the word
radish.
Cooks use the terms "horseradish" or "prepared horseradish" to
refer to the grated root of the pepparroot.
Horseradish sauce made from grated horseradish root and vinegar is a popular condiment in the United Kingdom and Poland. In the UK, it is usually served with roast beef, often as part of a traditional Sunday roast;
but can be used in a number of other dishes also, including sandwiches
or salads. A variation of horseradish sauce, which in some cases may
substitute the vinegar with other products like lemon juice is known in Germany as
Tafelmeerrettich. Also popular in the UK is Tewkesbury mustard, a blend of mustard and grated horseradish originating in medieval times and mentioned by Shakespeare. Falstaff says: "his wit's as thick as Tewkesbury Mustard" (in Henry IV Part II). A very similar mustard, called
Krensenf or
Meerrettichsenf, is popular in Austria and parts of Eastern Germany. In Russia horseradish root is usually mixed with grated garlic and small amount of tomatoes for color.
In the US the term "horseradish sauce" refers to grated horseradish combined with mayonnaise or salad dressing. Prepared horseradish is a common ingredient in Bloody Mary cocktails and in cocktail sauce,
and is used as a sauce or sandwich spread.
In Central and Eastern Europe horseradish is called
khren,
hren and
ren (in various spellings like
kren) in many Slavic languages, in Austria, in parts of Germany (where the other German name
Meerrettich is not used), in North-East Italy, and in Yiddish. There are two varieties of khreyn. "Red" khreyn is mixed with red beetroot and "white" khreyn contains no beetroot.
 |
| horseradish with beetroot |
In Ashkenazi European Jewish cooking beetroot horseradish is commonly served with gefilte fish. In Transylvania and other Romanian regions, Red beetroot with horseradish is also used as a salad served with lamb dishes at Easter. In Serbia, ren is an essential condiment with cooked meat and freshly roasted suckling pig.In Croatia, freshly grated horseradish is often eaten with boiled ham or beef.In Slovenia, and in the adjacent Italian regions and nearby Italian region of Veneto, horseradish (often grated and mixed with sour cream, vinegar, hard-boiled eggs, or apples) is also a traditional Easter dish.Further west in the Italian regions of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont, it is called "Barbaforte (strong beard)" and is a traditional accompaniment to Bollito misto. In the southern region of Basilicata it is known as "rafano" and used for the preparation of the so-called "rafanata", a main course made of horseradish, eggs, cheese and sausage. Horseradish is also used as a main ingredient for soups.
 |
| wasabi plant , painted by Asaki Kanen. |
Relation to wasabi
The Japanese condiment wasabi although traditionally prepared from the true wasabi plant (
Wasabia japonica), is now usually made with horseradish due to the scarcity of the wasabi plant. The Japanese botanical name for horseradish is
seiyōwasabi or "Western wasabi". Both plants are members of the family brassicaceae.
Pests and diseases
Widely introduced by accident, "cabbageworms", the larvae of Pieris rapae,
the Small White butterfly, are a common caterpillar pest in
horseradish. The adults are white butterflies with black spots on the
forewings that are commonly seen flying around plants during the day.
The caterpillars are velvety green with faint yellow stripes running
lengthwise down the back and sides. Full grown caterpillars are about
1-inch (25 mm) in length. They move sluggishly when prodded. They
overwinter in green pupal cases. Adults start appearing in gardens after
the last frost and are a problem through the remainder of the growing
season. There are three to five overlapping generations a year. Mature
caterpillars chew large, ragged holes in the leaves leaving the large
veins intact. Handpicking is an effective control strategy in home
gardens.
One of the owners of Clausholm wanted to reveal the 22 steps, which were said to be the steps of Anna Sophie Reventlow (d 1743) Frederik IV 's queen of the left hand. He sat one night in the room where the haunting took place. He placed a table with two loaded pistols beside the chair. His servant was ready beside him. At midnight the steps started and the servant handed the pistols to the lord. The lord cried"Stop or I shoot!" but the steps went on and he fired two shots which made a terrible noise through the castle. When the echos had died out the rest of the 22 steps were heard. Since then no one has tried a ghost hunt again at Clausholm. 
