Talk:Horseradish

Old discussions

Bitter herbs are specified in the Bible. Horseradish is a tradition. Maybe not among all Jews, but the ones I've been around do eat horseradish at Passover. -phma

Yes, but only among some Jews from Eastern Europe, who had difficulty finding the kind of herbs mentioned in the Bible at that particular time of year (same reason why the green vegetable (karpas), which was probably parsley or celery, was replaced by potatoes in some communities. Horseradish has been used traditionally, but even now there is a move to use more traditional herbs (Romaine lettuce, for example) as maror. Danny

--- The elaborate folk etymology would then be the same I suppose for "horse chestnut" vis-a-vis "chestnut", for "horse parsley" and "horse mushroom." Or is it simply that "horse" connotes coarse and large? Wetman 04:55, 16 Oct 2004 (UTC)

---

I removed the following line from the text describing Popeye's corporation's offering of a particular burger only on the east coast:

"The reason it doesn't offer this meal in its stores elsewhere is something of a mystery. "

Why? Because it is something of a mystery mainly to the author. That doesn't help anybody. The author is in effect telling us about his personal experience. And, besides... it isn't a mystery to Popeye's corporation. If one really wants to know why they don't offer this burger in locations other than the east coast, I'm sure that information can be obtained from the company.

(I'm not sure why I get caught up in something like this.)

Etymology

I removed this section from the article because it is doubtful and uncited. If anyone has reliable citations on the etymology of the word, please edit the article accordingly. Thanks Vectro 05:29, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Origin of name

It has been speculated that the word is a partial translation of its German name Meerrettich. The element Meer (meaning 'ocean, sea', although it could be derived from the similar sounding Mähren, the German word for Moravia, an area where the vegetable is cultivated and used extensively, or indeed from Mähre, meaning 'mare') is pronounced like the English word mare, which might have been reinterpreted as horseradish. On the other hand, many English plant names have "horse" as an element denoting strong or coarse, so the etymology of the English word (which is attested in print from at least 1597) is uncertain. (The OED contains no reference to the derivation from the German Meer.)

Cultivation

I started this section because I was looking for this information and started here at Wikipedia. I didn't find anything here, so I started a section.

Hope I'm doing this talk page right! I only edit occasionally and I keep having to review the How To pages as I go. My apologies if I've cause anyone extra work.

Valereee 15:45, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

English (British) Horseradish

This is my very first post on Wikipedia. Hope I don't screw up! I read the Horseradish page as I was interested in the comparison between it and Wasabi and found the description differed from my own knowledge of it. I have consulted my 'best' gardening book (Readers Digest Encyclopaedia of Garden Plants and Flowers) which supports my experience and so am considering adding info to the article. The plant in my book is listed as Cochlearia armoracia. Cruciferae. Reaches a height of 24" only. The picture on the existing page doesn't look the same as the plant I am familar with, nor does the pic of the root itself. I should be able to take pictures to upload. Tell me everyone, is this a suitable thing to add to the article? I am no botanist nor any kind of scientist but feel more comprehensive info would be useful/of interest to other readers. Many thanks. Muffet-at-19 17:21, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Good job!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.37.228.44 (talk) 21:44, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

Damn Antiquity?

I am curious as to why it says this plant was cultivated in some damn antiquity? What does that have to do with anything? That probably needs to be edited. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.32.16.100 (talk) 19:25, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

'cultivated in antiquity' or 'from antiquity' means that it's been cultivated since before historical records were kept. It doesn't mean it was planted and grown in an antique, if that's what you're wondering about.valereee (talk) 10:48, 26 March 2011 (UTC)

Antimicrobial properties

Request for comment: Added recently - note that horseradish is an "antibiotic" due to the mustard oil. Mustard oil is derived from mustard seeds. Horseradish is a root in itself. The prepared horseradish sauce for consumption includes various ingredients, depending on the recipe; it may include mustard. Seems that if there is to be information on the "antimicrobial" properties of horseradish, it should be with respect to the horseradish root itself (which apparently has antimicrobial properties [1]). — ERcheck (talk) 20:39, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

Mustard oil is found in many different crucifers, possibly even all of them, for instance Brassica and Capsella. Its popular name is mustard oil, but it's not confined to mustard, and may even be more easily obtained from horseradish. Nineteenthly (talk) 22:31, 19 December 2009 (UTC)

It is important to be aware of the way we are affected by the chemicals that are released through grating. Nowadays you might think "Oh I will use a blender" because it is quicker. If you do this you will find that the comment that it "irritates the sinuses and eyes" is an understatement. It is extremely important to not directly inhale over the grated root as you remove it. I did this and my nose and throat passages were so badly affected that I could not speak for several days and breathing was almost unbearably raw for much longer. I don't think that could be used as a citation though I think there is probably one out there somewhere. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.63.161.79 (talk) 15:10, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=aEQ&q=mustard+oil+antimicrobial+site%3A.edu&btnG=Search

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=aEQ&q=mustard+oil+antimicrobial+site%3A.edu&btnG=Search

mustard oil antimicrobial site:.edu

If wishes were...

Can anybody explain the origin of the name? TREKphiler ^{hit me ♠} 22:25, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

There seems to be a decent amount about that in the etymology section on this page. No idea if it's good for citation as I'm a kompleeeet noob, but it certainly sounds more than plausible (ie researched). Harveymuso (talk) 00:34, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Changed the stats

OK, the article said that such and such percentage was produced in the city and such and such was produced in the surrounding areas, and the this and that did NOT add up to a possible number. I'm assuming that it was meant that thus and so is produced within the burg and INCLUDING that figure, this and that is produced in the area. Correct me if I'm wrong... but the original text WAS wrong. And confusing. And... wrong, by definition. 69.29.69.28 (talk) 02:16, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

Confusing sentence

From the article: Although technically a root, horseradish is generally treated as a condiment or ingredient.

Perhaps I don't know enough about the culinary arts, but to me, this sentence doesn't make much sense. The word "although" indicates an apparent contradiction, but I don't see how being a root even appears to contradict being a condiment or an ingredient. --Tanner Swett (talk) 20:16, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Agreed. I deleted that line. It was confusing and unnecessary. –BMRR (talk) 22:18, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Opinion/ advice?

"It will keep for months refrigerated but eventually will start to darken, indicating it is losing flavour and should be replaced"

although the first part of this is true, the last part is opinion and instructional. If someone could finds some non-industry supportive sources, i guess it would be okay, but as it stands I don't think it is very encyclopedic. with sources maybe:

"It will keep for months refrigerated but will eventually, due to oxidation, start to darken. At this point the prepared horseradish is losing it's 'hotness'."

well, damn. now that just sounds silly now that I've written it. But the original should be cleaned up. I will do if I can't find anything but personal preference to back this up. personally I like the sweet old horseradish for different uses such as cocktail sauce, tartar, etc.. Moss Ryder (talk) 07:05, 26 July 2011 (UTC)

root dimensions

All this article says, is that the root is "large". For an encyclopedia article, I don't think this is specific enough. Dimensions of the root should be included in millimetres.

Etoombs (talk) 13:32, 15 January 2012 (UTC)