Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)

Horseradish is an introduced Asian species of brassica in the UK, escaping gardens throughout the medieval period, but it is naturalised and one finds it growing in balance with other field herbaceous plants in England. Horseradish was, together with mustard, garlic, onions, cumin and fennel, a very popular source of punchy flavours for common medieval people. At a time when diets were rich in starch and vegetables, and generally quite bland, people of all classes enjoyed having their senses assaulted by strong condiments and other flavourings. It’s popular belief that our ancestors uses strongly flavoured spices to disguise the taste of spoiled meat, and also that such things were more expensive than gold, available only to the very rich. Commoners had their sources of flavour as well - no peasant life for the peasants! Everyone prepared sauces with their meals. Horseradish, mixed with salt and vinegar, made for just such a condiment, but was also used as a remedy for chesty coughs and colds. There are extant recipes for candied horseradish, and for relishes which mix horseradish with its brassica (cabbage family) cousin, mustard, for a super-punchy sauce.

What it looks like

Horseradish is easy to spot, being a tallish, proud explosion of thick, glossy leaves. They are long and spear-shaped, crinkly, shiny, pointed, and toothed with heavy white or slightly yellowish ribs that keep it upright, standing up to about waist high. These can be found growing singly, but often in small clumps and communities. It is perennial, flowering in the spring with clusters of small white, four-petaled flowers on long stalks. You can see it growing throughout the year, but harvest the roots in autumn. Roots are thick, white tap-roots.

Uses

Preparation of horseradish as a condiment can be quite painful, best done outside or with all the windows open. The fresh juices in the tap-root are incredibly potent and will sting your eyes and other mucus membranes like onions. But worse. The root itself will be very hard to pull up, so use a shovel or trowel to loosen it from the ground before you try. Remove the leaves, wash the root, then peel and chop it into manageable chunks. If you think you’re hard enough, you can grate it by hand (goggles recommended, and a fair warning to anyone else in the house, or do this step outside) or carefully in a food processor, adding a couple of tablespoons of water to help it grind. If the grated pulp is too juicy in the end, squeeze out some of the water. You’re going to replace the liquid with a vinegar/water mixture to ‘pickle’ the grated root and also to ‘fix’ its flavour. Quickly wet the grated horseradish with vingear - about a tablespoon for one 8-10 inch root, then add salt to taste. The finished mixture is then put in a jar and refrigerated, where it will keep for a good long time. Some people prefer to mix some of their prepared horseradish pickle with a spoonful of cream, yogurt or creme fraiche before serving, to mellow it slightly.