Ingredient: Horseradish
Category: Vegetables
Season: Summer
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana, syn. Cochlearia armoracia) is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which includes mustard, wasabi, and cabbage, it is mainly cultivated for its large white, tapered root..
Culinary uses
Cooks use the terms 'horseradish' or 'prepared horseradish' to refer to the grated root of the horseradish plant mixed with vinegar.
Prepared horseradish is white to creamy-beige in colour.
It will keep for months refrigerated, but eventually will start to darken, indicating it is losing flavour and should be replaced.
The leaves of the plant, which while edible aren't commonly eaten, are referred to as 'horseradish greens.
Although technically a root, horseradish is generally treated as a condiment or ingredient.
In the USA, prepared horseradish is commonly used as an ingredient in Bloody Mary cocktails, in cocktail sauce, as a sauce or spread on meat, chicken, and fish, and in sandwiches.
In the United Kingdom, horseradish sauce made from grated horseradish root and cream is a popular condiment. It is often served with roast beef, but can be used in a number of other dishes also.
In Eastern European Jewish cuisine a sweetened horseradish-vinegar sauce called chrain in Yiddish, traditionally accompanies gefilte fish.
There are two varieties of chrain:
"Red" chrain is mixed with red beet and "White" chrain contains no beet.
It is also popular in Poland (under the name of chrzan), in Hungary (torma), in Romania (hrean) and in Bulgaria (хрян).
Having this on the Easter table is a part of Easter tradition in Eastern Europe.
A variety with red beet also exists and it is called ćwikła z chrzanem or simply ćwikła in Poland.
In Slovenia, Horseradish (often grated and mixed with cream, hardboiled eggs, or apples) is also a traditional Easter dish.
Horseradish dyed green is often substituted for the more expensive wasabi traditionally served with sushi, even in Japan.
The Japanese botanical name for horseradish is seiyōwasabi or "Western wasabi".
Horseradish contains 2 glucosinolates (sinigrin and gluconasturtiin), which are responsible for its pungent taste
Horseradish is not just a good ingredient for accompanying roast beef or smoked fish, but also for adding flavour to sauces.
It can be difficult to find a good creamed horseradish – what happens to the tear-inducing prickle of freshly grated horseradish once it’s creamed and bottled is a mystery – English Provender and Wiltshire Tracklements are the best. |