Horseradish

Horseradish

Horseradish has been cultivated since ancient times and is a familiar culinary herb of many kitchens. Its distinctive taste is used to flavour many dishes and it has several uses in herbal medicine.

The English name ‘horseradish’ means ‘coarse radish’ from the prefix ‘horse’, which distinguishes it from ‘edible radish’ (R. sativus), a practice that was used to describe other wild plants such as ‘horse-mint’ and ‘horse chestnut’.

The first mention of the common name ‘horseradish’ in print appears in the works of English herbalist John Gerard (1545–1612), according to Geoffrey Grigson, although Gerard did not have much familiarity with the plant.

The German name for horseradish was Meerettich meaning ‘sea radish’; meer may derive from mähre, or ‘old horse’, in reference to its tough roots.

The French name was raifort meaning ‘strong root’, or moutarde des moines meaning ‘monks mustard’.

Scientific Name

Armoracia rusticana

Family

Brassicaceae

Botanical Description

Long stalks with large, shiny-green, slightly toothed dock-like leaves and numerous white, sweetly scented flowers on a spike. The taproot is knobbly and brown with a pungent odour.

Status

Native to south-east Europe, the Mediterranean, and west Asia. Horseradish was introduced to Britain and Ireland.

Habitat and Distribution

Widely distributed in Britain and Ireland where it is naturalised due to its cultivation, horseradish can be found growing in waste places, damp meadows, neglected gardens, and as a cultivated herb in larger, traditional vegetable gardens.

Parts Used for Food

Leaves, flowers, roots, sprouted seeds.

Harvest Time

Leaves: May to September.
Roots: November, December

Food Uses of Horseradish

The fresh roots are used as a culinary herb in sauces, powders and vinegars for flavouring meats, vegetables and pickles.

The herb is available in white (preserved in vinegar) or red (preserved in beet juice), although it is most popular as a sauce for accompanying roast beef, steaks and smoked fish.

The flavour of the sauce can be overpoweringly hot for some and is best used sparingly. The roots can also be sliced and roasted as a vegetable similar to parsnips.

The young leaves can be added to salads, pickles or cooked as a potherb. The sprouted seeds can be used to season salads.

Horseradish Recipes

Nutritional Profile

As a cruciferous vegetable, horseradish may have beneficial antioxidant properties, however much of its nutritional content is lost during cooking. Its vitamin C denatures and nutrients like vitamin K and calcium are cut by a half. Cooking also removes the plant’s pungency as does long periods of refrigeration after preparation.

Herbal Medicine Uses of Horseradish

Horseradish is a warming herb used to increase circulation and decrease swellings, and to promote urination. It is thought to be helpful for rheumatic conditions. The strong vaporous odour of the root, when broken, can be used to banish heavy colds.

Other Uses

Some varieties are grown for their ornamental leaves. An infusion of horseradish leaves sprayed onto apple trees can prevent brown rot; kept on the borders of vegetable patches, it assists in the growth of healthy and disease-resistant potatoes. The foliage can be harvested to make a yellow dye. The volatile oils in horseradish may be an effective insecticide.

Safety Note

Excessive doses of horseradish may cause gut irritation, diarrhoea and night sweats, or may irritate the skin (when applied externally).

Commission E recommends horseradish isn’t taken by children under four years old, although there is no supporting evidence for this. The herb is listed as an abortifacient in some texts and may be best avoided in excess or altogether during pregnancy.

References

Duke, J. A. (1985) CRC handbook of medicinal herbs. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Facciola, S. (1998) Cornucopia II: a source book of edible plants. Vista: Kampong Publications.

Lim, T. K. (2012) Edible medicinal and non-medicinal plants: volume 1, fruits. Dordrecht: Springer.

Small, E. (2006) Culinary herbs. 2nd ed. Ottawa: NRC Research Press.

Turner, N. J. et al. (2011) Edible and tended wild plants, traditional ecological knowledge and agroecology. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences. [Online] 30 (1–2), 198–225.

Ground Ivy & Horseradish Mayonnaise

Beef passes my lips about 5 times a year (if that), so I was a bit surprised when my body nudged me to go and buy a steak. Local that is, like 2 miles away.

All I had flashing through my mind was the scent and taste of ground ivy. So why ground ivy and beef? Well one of the old names for ground ivy was ale-hoof, it was used to clarify and add bitterness to ales during the brewing process.

Does beef & ale pie ring a bell? See where I’m going with this? Traditionally beef steak is served with horseradish sauce. Ale was brewed with ground ivy. Put the two together and you get my mayo recipe… kind of. Check it out.

I had to stand on tiptoes to reach the bottom of the jug with my fingers. Finger feeding is so much classier than knives and forks, especially if you’re a ‘smear yourself all over with food’ kind of forager.

Ground Ivy Recipe Ingredients

  • 15g fresh ground ivy leaves and stems
  • 1 egg (can we take free-range as a given please)
  • 200 ml rapeseed oil
  • 3 tsp grated horseradish root
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (or the vinegar from preserved horseradish root)

Ground Ivy Recipe Instructions

  1. Add egg to a hand blender jug, along with 150ml of oil and lemon juice. Blitz until thick, if too thin add more oil.
  2. Add chopped ground ivy and horseradish root, then blitz until blended into the mayo.
  3. Serve with beef, or as a coleslaw type of dressing.

 

How To Preserve Wild Horseradish Root

This super quick horseradish recipe shows you how to preserve wild horseradish root.

Be prepared to don a pair of old motorcycle goggles as the aromatic oils that get released when preparing will have you blubbing like a baby for yonks. And you thought onions where bad!

Note: It is illegal to dig up roots without landowner’s consent.

Preserve Wild Horseradish Root Ingredients

  • 130g fresh wild horseradish root
  • 150ml organic cider vinegar

Preserve Wild Horseradish Root Instructions

  1. Grate your horseradish root in a food processor. Grate manually at your own risk!
  2. Immediately spoon into a jar, then pour over the cider vinegar and store in a refrigerator.

Makes: 130g and should keep for about a year.

Fermented Hogweed Borsch Recipe

I no longer recommend this plant be served to the public.

This plant is not for beginners. Never eat raw. Always wear gloves when gathering.

Please read these important Safety Notes.

This fermented hogweed Borsch recipe is divine. In Russia Hogweed’s (Heracleum sphondylium) old name was “borschevnic”.

The soup was originally made using lacto-fermented hogweed. In Poland both the soup and plant are called “barscz” and by the end of the nineteenth century this had evolved to mean a soup with beetroot as the main ingredient.

In Romania the sharp lacto-fermented liquid is called borsch and is used like stock and added to soups.

WARNING: Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) is part of the Carrot family and as such you must be 500% certain that you have identified this plant correctly. You must also gather it with gloves on as the sap can burn you. This is completely destroyed by cooking.

Do NOT eat this plant raw! Definitely not a plant for novice foragers to start playing around with. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), is highly poisonous, and even brushing against it can give some people very serious burns.

Not everyone can eat this plant – some people experience severe reactions to it – You MUST conduct a safety tolerance test, before ever eating this plant. I don’t care what other foragers say. My advise comes from over 10 years of working with Hogweed.

Read my article: Foraging Safety Guidelines For Eating Wild Edible Plants.

Ingredients for Fermented Hogweed Borsch Recipe

Gather Hogweed leaves and stalks so the balance is 50% leaf to thick shiny stalk. Wash and chop them and pack them into a large Kilner jar. Add salt to taste and pour over boiling water to cover. Seal the lid but do not include the rubber seal, it should not be air-tight as you need to allow the air bubbles that form to escape. Leave the jar in an ambient room temperature and after 2-3 days it will become sour and you will see bubbles in the brew. After three days it will become too sour and acidic.

In spring the leaves and juice can be used but in autumn the leaves and stalks are too tough and only the liquid is consumed

  • 500g tomatoes
  • 4 medium sized beetroot
  • 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
  • 500ml/g fermented hogweed liquid
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • Pepper

To finish:

  • 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons creamed hot horseradish
  • Fresh parsley and/or chives to garnish.

Suggested Instructions for Fermented Hogweed Borsch Recipe

  1. Halve the tomatoes, dribble with a little oil and pop under a hot grill to char and soften for about 10 minutes. Blitz in a food processor and push through a sieve to remove the seeds and skin, reserving the liquid.
  2. Grate the beetroot coarsely
  3. Sweat the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, to soften but not brown. Add the garlic and beetroot and fry for a few minutes longer. Add the hogweed liqueur and sieved tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, when the beetroot should be cooked. Add a little water if the soup is too dry. Add the tomato puree and blend
  4. Season with pepper and taste to check salt levels, you may not need any as the hogweed juice is quite salty. Reheat the soup until it is hot
  5. Blend the yogurt and horseradish and add a generous swirl to the soup just before serving accompanied with a little fresh herbs for contrast.

Serves 4.

Horseradish Leaf Bubble and Squeak

Horseradish leaf (Armoracia rusticana) makes a wonderful green vegetable, and raw it can taste very hot, however once cooked the hotness disappears.

Cooked Horseradish leaf has a wonderful texture and flavour and goes perfectly as a cabbage substitute in Bubble & Squeak.

Horseradish Leaf Recipe Ingredients

  • 600g floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edwards
  • 120g horseradish leaves, stalk removed and washed
  • 1 small onion
  • 30g butter
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil and butter for frying

Horseradish Leaf Recipe Instructions

  1. Peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized pieces. Bring to the boil in salted water and simmer for 15 minutes until just tender. Drain and leave to go cold, uncovered. Breaking them up roughly speeds the process.
  2. Cook the horseradish leaves in 1cm salted water for 2 minutes until tender. Tip into a sieve and quickly cool under cold running water to stop cooking and retain the colour. Squeeze out the excess water, then spread out on a clean tea towel and leave to dry out thoroughly.
  3. Finely chop the onion and fry for 5 minutes in the butter until softened but not browned.
  4. Mash the potatoes and chop the horseradish into small pieces. Mix the potatoes, horseradish and onion with buttery juices together and season well with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 8-10cm discs. I use a plain cutter to achieve a good crisp shape, but hands work just as well. Cover and chill for at least an hour. At this stage they could also be frozen and cooked at a later date.
  5. To cook heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add oil and butter and fry them for 5 minutes on each side when they should be crisp and golden brown.

Serves: 4-5