Field guide · Autumn

Horseradish

Rábano-picante in Portugal, raifort in France from Old French raiz fort, strong root, and peberrod in Denmark, pepparrot in Sweden — pepper-root. German Meerrettich is not sea-radish; Meer there carries its older sense of foreign. Most wasabi served outside Japan is this root, dyed green and cut with mustard, and the two are cousins in the cabbage family. A whole root smells of nothing. Grating breaks the cells and starts the reaction that makes the heat, and vinegar stops it — add it at once for mild, wait about three minutes for fierce. Simplest thing to do with it: grate it raw over hot beef.

Noted 2026-08-31