The racy root
Think of the hot stuff of the food world and you’ll probably come up with chilli peppers, Tabasco sauce, harissa and wasabi. But it’s easy to overlook the fact that in Britain we have our very own scorcher in the form of the lowly horseradish. A much-neglected food, it’s given us years of humble service. Now it’s due a little recognition.
Since the 1600s, this long, tapering, edible white root has been grated into a sauce that is now synonymous with roast beef. But as well as being a gutsy accompaniment for robust meat such as venison, wild boar, oxtail and roast gammon, horseradish sauce is also brilliant with smoked trout, mackerel and salmon. In Summer Cooking (Penguin, £6.99), Elizabeth David recommends it stirred into mayonnaise with a little chopped parsley and served with fish and salads. It also teams well with hard-boiled eggs and beetroot and can be added to stews and soups for a bit of a bite. Mixed in moderation with soft cheese, it gives a lift to sandwiches and canapés.
Horseradish also has a long history of medical use. No one who has cried their eyes out as they grated it will doubt its efficiency in sweating out colds. In Food in England (Little, Brown & Co, £14.99), Dorothy Hartley explains that horseradish has been used since medieval times as a ‘notable stomachic and treatment for scurvy, as well as a cure for common colds and neuralgia, and as an embrocation when mixed with an egg yolk’, (a dubious-sounding remedy still in use).
But what of its culinary uses? Sadly, today, this pungent ingredient seems to be limited to a walk-on part as an accompaniment to roast beef. Consequently, it can be tricky to track down the fresh root, though preserved grated horseradish, sold in jars, is a good substitute. Try specialist food shops (Harrods sells it in London), or grow the tough, hardy perennial yourself.
Horseradish root is sold in clumps (known as thongs) by Arne Herbs, near Bristol (01275 333399). Each clump costs £2.75. For more details see their website, www.arneherbs.co.uk. If you can track down the root, the best way to serve it ‘straight’ is to grate the washed and peeled root against the grain, then pile a small amount on to each serving of roast beef.
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