Horseradish is to spices what apples are to pies—very American. An estimated 85 percent of the world’s horseradish is grown here and a lot of it stays here: Americans consume six million gallons of horseradish a year!
But horseradish isn’t an American original. Native to the Mediterranean, by the 15th century it was growing in Britain, where it was described as hoarse, meaning “of coarse and strong quality.”
Raw horseradish has no odor, but cut into its flesh and you’ll sniff a waft of heat that can open the sinuses even on the worst day of allergy season. No wonder it was used as a medicine long before it was used as a food. Ye Olde physicians employed its mucous-moving abilities to help treat colds, coughs, kidney stones, urinary tract infections—and hoarseness, of course.
What gives horseradish its healing kick? The volatile oil sinigrin, which breaks down into allyl isothiocyanate, a powerful natural antibiotic. Allyl isothiocyanate most likely accounts for the proven effectiveness of horseradish in treating upper respiratory problems. But it’s not the only healing component in the spice. Ounce for ounce, horseradish contains more medicinally active compounds than most other spices. And they are very active—they can clear congestion, thin mucous, reduce inflammation, squelch cell-damaging oxidants, fight bacteria and viruses, relax muscles, stimulate the immune system—and even battle cancer. That makes the humble horseradish one special spice. As noted botanist and spice expert Dr. James A. Duke put it, “Horseradish is about as useful in the medicine chest as it is in the spice rack.”
A Natural Antibiotic
Even though horseradish is loaded with healing phytonutrients, only a few scientific studies have been conducted to test its curative powers. However, the spice has been declared medically safe and effective for upper respiratory tract infections by the German Commission E Monographs, which helps guide physicians and other health professionals in Germany in the medical use of herbs.
One of that country’s most popular infection-fighting natural medicines is a preparation called Angocin Anti-Infekt N, which contains horseradish root and the herb nasturtium. Since the preparation hit the German market, several laboratory and human studies have found that it is as effective as antibiotics in treating:
• Bronchitis
• Ear infection
• Gastrointestinal illness caused by food contaminated with the E. coli bacteria
• Gastrointestinal illness caused by food contaminated by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus
• Haemophilus influenza, which typically strikes children under age five
• Pneumonia
• Sinusitis
• Strep throat and other serious illness cause by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes, such as cellulitis, impetigo, and scarlet fever
• Urinary tract infection
One of those studies, involving 858 children and teenagers in 65 German treatment centers, compared the effectiveness of Angocin Anti-Infekt N to an antibiotic in the treatment of bronchitis and urinary tract infection (UTI).
Effectiveness was measured by the degree of symptom relief and the speed at which infections cleared up—and the horseradish-containing medication was very effective! “The results prove that there is a rational basis for treatment of both UTIs and respiratory infections with this medicinal product,” commented the researchers.
Another German study compared the effectiveness of the horseradish preparation to antibiotics in 536 people with sinusitis, 634 people with bronchitis, and 479 people with UTI. Again, the natural medicine worked just as well as the antibiotic.
The horseradish medication also has been shown to help prevent infection. In one study, researchers recruited 219 women and men ages 18 to 75 to test the effectiveness of the natural medicine in preventing recurrent UTI. All the patients were symptom-free at the beginning of the study. Half the participants took a daily dose of the horseradish-containing supplement and half took a placebo. After three months, the researchers found that the rate of recurrence was 50 percent lower in the people taking the horseradish remedy than in those taking the placebo. Another study involving children with recurrent urinary tract infections had similar results.
Better than Broccoli?
On the outside, horseradish isn’t much to look at. It is a coarse, colorless, odorless, gangly root with no taste-appeal whatsoever—the ugly duckling of an attractive family of colorful vegetables called the crucifers. These crucifers (broccoli, watercress, mustard greens, kale, cabbage, and brussels sprouts, to name a few) are well known for producing the plant kingdom’s largest supply of isothiocyanates(ITCs), compounds that have been found to protect against cancer.
But ITCs wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for another important compound: glucosinolates. When the flesh of a crucifer is broken—when it is torn, cut, or chewed—glucosinolates get into gear and produce ITCs. That’s why horseradish stands out as more than just a homely spice in a family of lovely greens. When researchers at the University of Illinois put horseradish under the microscope, they found it contained more glucosinolates than broccoli, the king of all crucifers.
“Horseradish contains more than 10-fold higher glucosinolates than broccoli, so you don’t need much horseradish to benefit,” commented Dr. Mosbah Kushad, the study’s lead researcher. “In fact, a little dab on your steak will go a long way to providing the same health benefits as broccoli.” (Good news for you broccoli-haters out there!)
In one study on the ITCs in horseradish, researchers at Michigan State University tested their ability to inhibit the activity of colon and lung cancer cells. As the dosage of ITCs increased, the disease-promoting activity of the cancer cells became weaker—30 to 68 percent weaker for colon cancer, and 30 to 71 percent weaker for lung cells.
ITCs aren’t the only cancer-fighting compound in horseradish—the spice contains more than two dozen anti-cancer compounds, and researchers in England are investigating one of them—horseradish peroxidase (HRP)—as a component in an anti-cancer medication. In one laboratory study, the experimental drug helped control the growth of breast and bladder cancer cells.
High Hopes for Low Cholesterol
The ITCs in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli in particular) promote heart health by helping control two major risk factors for heart disease: the blood fats cholesterol and triglycerides. A study reported in the journal Nutrition Research found that the ITCs in horseradish can do the same.
In the study, researchers fed mice a cholesterol-rich diet with and without horseradish. After three weeks, the mice eating the diet with cholesterol and horseradish had much lower cholesterol levels. The researchers theorize that horseradish blocks the production of cholesterol.
The Unique Crucifer
Not only does horseradish contain higher concentrations of ITCs than other crucifers—it also contains thiocyanate, a rare substance that sends a pungent rush into the nasal cavity when the flesh is cut or chewed. Thiocyanate is only found in two other spices, mustard seed and wasabi, both members of the crucifer clan.
Thiocyanate delivers its zing by a different route than capsaicin, the chemical that torches your tongue when you eat chiles. When horseradish meets moisture in the mouth, thiocyanates are released into the air and up the nasal passage, which is why a strong dose makes the nose run and the eyes water. The heat dissipates quickly, however, and you are left with the spice’s distinctive taste—a white radish with the heat of a jalapeño.
FIRST PRODUCED IN PITTSBURGH IN 1869, HEINZ HORSERADISH WAS AMERICA’S ORIGINAL MASS-MARKETED CONVENIENCE FOOD.Pure horseradish, however, is not a familiar taste—it’s usually one ingredient in a sauce. That’s why we don’t recognize that the so-called “wasabi” served in sushi restaurants is pure horseradish, colored with spinach and spirulina. (To find out more about wasabi, please see Wasabi, Hot Ally Against Cancer.)
Getting to Know Horseradish
Horseradish first came to the United States in the 1600s with the original settlers, but it really took off as a coveted condiment in the mid-1800s when German and Polish immigrants brought their love for the spice and their recipes to America. It was so popular as a topping for cold meats and fish that in 1869 a young entrepreneur by the name of Henry J. Heinz mixed it with the preservative vinegar, packed it in small glass jars to “display its purity,” and peddled it in a hand basket in his hometown neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Heinz Horseradish went on to became America’s first mass-marketed convenience food, and local legend has it that Heinz grated so much horseradish in his parent’s home basement you could smell the potent vapors coming through the floorboards long after he moved the operation elsewhere.
Today, horseradish plays a leading culinary role in both the United States and Europe. We use it to turn ordinary ketchup into sinus-opening cocktail sauce, the ubiquitous dip traditionally served with boiled shrimp and raw shellfish. It’s a popular addition to the tomato-juice-and-vodka cocktail Bloody Mary, and it is often found sitting on the bar in taverns and seafood houses next to a bowl of oyster crackers. It’s the classic condiment found on tables in steakhouses and in the serving line at fast food places from coast to coast. Every June, Collinsville, Illinois, the self-proclaimed horseradish capital of the world, hosts the annual International Horseradish Festival, with every horseradish contest imaginable, including a Little Miss Horseradish beauty pageant.
But first prize for horseradish adoration goes to the Germans, who still follow the arduous custom of grating the tough, large root and serving it fresh. Germans are so fond of horseradish because its potent tang cuts the fatty flavor of sausages and the unusual cuts of meat that are the standard fare in their diet. German cuisine contains countless recipes for horseradish sauce. There’s vinegar horseradish sauce, lemon horseradish sauce, horseradish bread sauce, horseradish whipped cream sauce, beer horseradish sauce, and the most well known, apfelmeerrettich, which is made with sour green apples. It’s not unusual to find meerrettichkartoffeln—potatoes baked in horseradish cream—sitting on the table, too.
Horseradish may help prevent and/or treat:
Bronchitis
Cancer
Cholesterol problems (high total cholesterol)
Ear infection
Flu
Food poisoning
Pneumonia, bacterial
Sinusitis
Strep throat
Urinary tract infection
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Horseradish pairs well with these spices:
Basil
Black pepper
Celery seed
Fennel seed
Mustard seed
Parsley
Rosemary
Sesame seed
Sun-dried tomato
and complements recipes featuring:
Apples
Baked beans
Beef roasts
Cheese
Cold cuts
Cured ham
Eggs
Fresh and smoked fish
Pork
Potatoes
Shellfish
Substitute: Since most wasabi sold in the US is really horseradish, you can use the two interchangeably. True wasabi is stronger, however, so if using it as a substitute for horseradish in a recipe, start with half as much and add more until you get to the desired taste and consistency.
Eastern Europeans and Scandinavians also have their horseradish traditions.
In Norway, the grated root is whipped with sweet-and-sour cream, sugar, and vinegar to create a sauce called pepperrotsaus that is served with cold salmon and other fish. The Danes freeze creamed horseradish and serve it like sherbet in a chilled sauceboat. The Poles grate beets into horseradish to make a purple-red condiment called chrzan that is served with spring ham. Horseradish soup is a Polish Christmas-day lunch tradition.
The French are not fond of fiery food, but horseradish is the exception. They feel the heavy red horseradish sauce preferred by Americans is too heavy for the delicate taste of raw oysters and instead serve a dipping sauce called mignonette, which combines the spice with vinegar and oil. In England, standing rib roast with horseradish cream sauce is a national tradition.
Horseradish is on the table at the Seder, the meal that celebrates the Jewish holiday of Passover—it’s one of the maror (bitter herbs) that symbolize the suffering the Israelites endured as slaves in Egypt.
In the Kitchen with Horseradish
You’ll get the most pungent horseradish by serving it the way the Germans prefer: freshly grated and undiluted. But grating horseradish is painstaking—even painful! The root is tough, coarse, and long (a foot or more), and grating it calls for strength and a sharp steel grating blade. The vapors hit your nostrils like a punch in the nose, so work outdoors if possible, or at least in a well-ventilated room by an open window. Also warn others to stay upwind from the fumes. And once grated, the flavor deteriorates quickly. All of which is why I highly recommend you take the easy route and purchase prepared horseradish preserved in vinegar, which is inexpensive and readily available. It won’t give you the zing of fresh horseradish, but it’s close, and its healing powers are the same.
You can find prepared horseradish in the dairy section of any supermarket, and it will last for months in the refrigerator at home. Just check the label to make sure you’re getting the minimum ingredients—horseradish, distilled white vinegar, and salt. When using it in recipes, make sure to squeeze the vinegar out with the back of the fork, so you get the pure taste of horseradish. You can also purchase the spice as granules and flakes, which must be rehydrated.
Generally horseradish relishes and sauces aren’t cooked—heat destroys the spice’s pungency, and cooked horseradish is quite mild. So, when you see a horseradish-potato crusted fish on the menu (quite popular these days), there’s no need to pass it up because you think the dish might be too hot.
Horseradish is versatile and easy to work with. Here are some of the many ways you can put more of the spice into your diet:
• Add a dollop of horseradish to potato salads, slaws, and dips.
• Use it to give applesauce a tasty zip.
• Add a tablespoon or two to spike barbecue sauce served with grilled meat.
• Mix a tablespoon of prepared horseradish with cup of sour cream as a topping for smoked fish. Sprinkle it with chives.
• Mix horseradish with sour cream and whip it into mashed potatoes.
• To make a basic cocktail sauce, mix equal parts of ketchup and horseradish. Add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.
• Make a different dipping sauce for seafood by combining 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of prepared horseradish, and ¼ teaspoon each of mace and mint. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
• To make a traditional horseradish cream for roast beef, beat ½ cup of heavy cream until slightly stiff and fold in 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish. Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour before serving.
Bavarian Apple and Horseradish SauceThis popular German specialty makes a great accompaniment to pork tenderloin or chops and spicy sausages. You can also serve it as a spread on cold beef sandwiches on thick crusty bread.
½ cup prepared horseradish, drained
1 large sour green apple, peeled, cored, and diced
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
cup sour cream
1 tablespoon dried parsley
In a medium mixing bowl mix the horseradish, apple, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Cover and let the mixture stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. Or refrigerate until ready to use, stir, and bring to room temperature before serving.
Makes about 1½ cups.
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