[Sca-cooks] horseradish

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

>
> Thank you for this. Yes Adamantius, when I saw "herbs" I was indeed
> thinking leaves, not the root. We've discussed the fuzzyness of
> the definitions of "herb" and "spice" before.
>
> I've not thought of horseradish root as being 'bitter' before.
> This may be because most of the horseradish I've had was packed
> in vinegar or had vinegar in the sauce, so any bitterness was
> probably assumed to be a function of the vinegar and not the
> horseradish itself. I do have some fresh horseradish root at
> home. If I slice it up and fry it like "French Fries" this
> should give a good experience of the natural taste without
> any additions such as would be in the sauce.
>
> My question still remains about whether horseradish grows in the
> Middle East or whether the Jews started using this plant when
> they migrated to Europe.
>
> Stefan li Rous

You probably don't want to slice and fry your horseradish. Usually you
peel and grate it, and put it in vinegar to preserve it. Peel a small
piece and grate it, and put a small amount on something like a cracker (or
if you're feeling masochistic, a spoon) to try it that way. Horseradish is
a punguent condiment...

To give you an idea--when I was grating the stuff for Seder, I was doing
so blind, because my eyes were streaming tears. Not onion tears, but
substantial amounts of liquid coming from my eyes. The apron I was wearing
was soaked through, as was my shirt. I think at that point I was running
on endorphins.

Margaret