Horseradish/ Peberrod

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.

Butterfly wants to join a Flute-concert in Odense

Butterfly and Flutist



A butterfly lands on the face of a Japanese flutist, Yukie Ota, while she’s playing Pierrre Sancan’s ‘Sonatine’ at the 2014 Carl Nielsen International Flute Competition in Odense, Denmark.
Grace under pressure? Wait for it... she didn't miss a note!


It is really a special moment. Just watch it!
GB

The Raven is a Clever Bird....

The raven might be the brightest of all birds , the myths about it are manifold. The raven was the messenger of the Nordic god Odin -  it was also aboard Noahs Ark, from where it was sent out to find land after the Flood.


After being almost extinct in Denmark for about 100 years the raven has now taken the old land in possession. The raven has a weight of about 1 1/2 kilo and a wing span of about 1 1/2, which means that it is the largest passerine in Europe. When you see the raven from a distance it looks as if it is black as coal, but if you look closer the plumage is more metal shining with a bluish sheen and greenish hues. The older the bird is the more metal shining feathers.

 A scientist and photographer had made a photo hide in the late winter, where the birds really need some food, and he had put out some baits for his models, the birds of prey and the crows. The first hungry birds were the crows, then came the buzzards and the seagulls. Suddenly came the golden eagle - and then he really got busy with his camera. It is rare to be that close to one of the great eagles.

But the raven kept away from the hide, it had discovered that someone was sitting inside under these camouflage nets. The guy had been there an hour before sunrise in order to "fool" the birds, but the black bird had fooled him instead. All the other birds were munching away, while the ravens were hovering above the feeding site and the photo hide shouting its krårk, which can be heard far and wide. He never got his close-up of the raven. His opinion is that the raven is the only bird whom he suspects being able to reason and figure things out.







In the Nordic mythology Odin used the ravens Hugin and Munin as observers. Hugin was the thought and Munin was the remembrance. This was a thousand years ago and there was a great deal of respect around the raven back then. It was a symbol of power, sharp senses and wisdom. Before Dannebrog came down from the sky in 1219 as the oldest national flag in the world, the Danes used the Raven Banner, a red cloth with two black ravens representing the national symbol of the Danes. The raven was a sacred bird.

Yggdrasil and ravens, Silkeborg Museum

Odin depict on a helmet, 7. century. wikipedia.

From the middle of the 1800s the view of nature changed in Denmark, and the raven was brought down with it. Together with raptors and largely all carnivors the raven was excommunicated and violently pursued. The wise black bird was virtually eradicated in the Danish nature, and it has not come back to its old land until the latest decades. But it came back in honor and dignity!  The Danish breeding population of ravens is today more than 1000 pairs and there is probably place and food enough for twice as many.




The raven, the raptors and other carnivors were in the 1800s indirectly victims of some high political changes, which contributed to feed a new approach in many Danes. The time of the land reclamation had taken off . A large part of the Jutland heath was cultivated, and furthermore came the comprehensive drainage of the "useless" wet areas. The new view of nature divided birds and animals in vermins, who had to be killed and useful game who had to be protected at any price. It was a kind of household philosophy. Raptors, ravens and other predators were shot, caught in traps, poisoned and had their nests destroyed. Shooting prizes were given for dead and unwanted birds and mammals. During only half a century several species of raptors were extinct in Denmark - and the raven held barely out.




The pheasant from Southeast Asia had an impact on the raven and the raptors, when this colourful fowl was introduced in Denmark as a hunting object in the 1800s. The hatred grew of the species who ventured to eat some meat now and then, and the omnivorous raven took of course a dead or wounded pheasant, if it got the chance. The raven has a secondary job in the renovation of nature.






In the 1950s were as far as known only about 10 pair of ravens in Denmark, most of the nests were in the southern part of Jutland - and it was from here the raven spread up through Jutland. It is now breeding in the main land of Jutland except in the outernest dunes at the west coast. The ancient bird of the Nordic gods has also won a terrain on the Isles, but it is shy and sceptical everywhere. It might take generations for it to get the distrust out of the body and achieve the confidence in the most dangerous mammal on earth, Man.






Source: 
Ravn til Gavn. Som sendebud og sladrehank, Jan Skriver, Natur og Miljø, nr. 1, 2013, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening

photos of ravens: grethe bachmann, Vilsted sø, 2009. 
photo: Silkeborg Museum: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk 


 EXTRA:
I have found the most wonderful Japanese blog about ravens and crows. If you are interested try to see this:

www.avesnoir.com/yata-garasu-the ravens-of-japanese-myth

Grethe ´)

A Visit to Copenhagen

Whenever I go to Copenhagen there are so many places I want to see or see again that it is difficult to chose which one, when you've only got a few days to spare. This time I wanted to see the Glyptotek, founded by Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914), who was one of the greatest art collectors of his time.  Carlsberg Glyptotek has got its name from his brewery, Ny Carlsberg. I suppose you know the Carlsberg beer?

Glyptotek means a collection of sculptures, but the museum has a great collection of paintings too. The sculpture collection is the old Egypt, the antique Greece and Rome and  a collection of Danish golden age painters and Danish and French scuplture. The alternative exhibition this summer is a fine collection of the French impressionists with a main selection of Gauguin - all borrowed from France, and it was this exhibition I wanted to see this time. I had a wish that Sisley and Pissaro would be there. They were. And so were van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Manet, Toulouse Lautrec and much more.

Black Diamond

Well, when I have been in one museum and seen one exhibition then I've got enough for one day. I get tired and I need to digest the impression - this time the impressionists! So - instead we went out in the city of Copenhagen. I know Copenhagen well, have been here many times on week-ends and vacations,

Busy girls...

but the city has really changed much -  like my own hometown Århus. Much has been renovated and there is much new architecture, some of it very exciting, like the National library, called the Black Diamond. There are lots and lots of cafés now, but this is the same in my town and elsewhere. People have annected this trend in Denmark. They "go more out" today, both singles and families. In spite of our difficult weather people want to sit outside with blankets and little heaters at foot of the table. We found a nice café opposite the University, a book-café, and I like those book cafés, I think they are cosy. Books and coffee and talk fit well together. We also found a pretty Italian café in Købmagergade, and I had a good strong coffee and a tiramisu. Mumms! The weather was fine, and we sat outside looking at people streaming by. I like to watch all those people from outside a café. You can see the whole world passing by like at Café de la Paix in Paris.

Bookcafé, University

children photo with the Silver Man

bikes bikes bikes

Gråbrødretorv

guy with dog and mobilephone

café guest with a fine boxer..

We were in a couple of Japanese shops in Copenhagen, this was one of our priorities, since we've got no Japanese shops in Århus. We wanted to have a teapot and some tea bowls - and some food articles. There is a fine little shop in one of the old streets, Fiolstræde, called "Sachie", with Japanese food articles, and we bought some Sake and plum wine, Japanese curry etc. Another shop had mostly ceramics, teapots and fine bowls  and kimonos. I know that what we call a kimono has another Japanese name, but I don't remember what. We bought a fine teapot. I wanted some bowls, but I couldn't decide. They were all so pretty. Typical me! A third shop was a mixture of Chinese, Japanese, Thailand and other Asian countries.

The most wellknown street in Copenhagen is Strøget. You really need to walk through Strøget when you are in Copenhagen. If I haven't taken a walk there then I really haven't seen Copenhagen! And then take a walk  to Gråbrødre Torv and Nyhavn, Kongens Nytorv and the Royal Theatre, the four palaces of Amalienborg,  the Opera and the channels, Tivoli , Kongens Have etc. There is so much to see and this time the sun was shining, the weather was beautiful and Copenhagen did show its most lovely face. So it was a good trip.  We "walked the streets thin" and when we got tired we sat down by a café and had a little lunch or a cup of coffee.. But we also wanted to see several places outside Copenhagen, in the countryside of Zealand - and we only had one week in the rented summerhouse at the east coast south of the town Køge, so we had to leave "the rest" of Copenhagen for another visit.

Some cars we saw! The yellow one is a Tesla, and I don't know much about it less than it's an electric luxury car and it is very costy. Found it on the net. About 90.000 dollars. Ouch! The blue one looks like a Buick and the silver grey is certainly a Bentley. What a car! And its' from Georgia. Wonder who's in town!














 And there must also be a room for some of the old streets and houses in Copenhagen. Here is a small collection.

photo Copenhagen June 2012: grethe bachmann

Gråbrødretorv

a little Renaissance too

Fiolstræde

Rundetaarn

at Nyhavn

Boosting Your Burning..........

.......... with 5 healthy things.

In  my weekly magazine were 12 pages, a whole section, with advice for health and beauty, one better than the other and one more forgetfull and expensive than the other . But there was a good little page with 5 healthy things which would be easy to remember. And not only if you want a weight loss but just want to treat your body in a good way.

Green Tea.
Most people know green tea. It promotes the combustion, it reduces the bad cholesterol and reduces the fat depots. Studies have shown that green tea inhibits the ensyme lipase, which deplete the fat in the food, and therefore lesser fat is absorbed. Green tea also stimulates the thermogenesis, (which promotes the calorie burning). Green tea reduces the speed, and thereby carbohydrates are taken into the bloodstream.

Chili.
New studies show that special natural plant-substances like capsaicin and epigallocatechin gallate affect the food-caused stimulation of the compustion. Both substances are in chili. Strong spices boot the system and give you warmth -  and at the same time they boot the socalled food-induced compustion - daily just called compustion or burning - and this burns off your calories.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar alone does not give you a weight loss, but together with a sensible food it supports the weight loss immensely and counteracts the side effects in a food, which contains lesser calories than you burn.

 







Grapefruit     
It has been shown that plant chemicals in grapefruit can contribute to reduce the insuline level in the body and thereby the amount of the energy from the meal, which is transformed into fat.

 




All Vitamins and Minerals
And then it is important to be supplied with all essential vitamins, minerals and fats daily - especially if you want a weight loss. 












Source: Caroline Fibæk,  Femina, nr. 16, 19. April 2012, Aller Media A/S , Havneholmen, København.

photos: copies