Horseradish, 500g

Once grated, horseradish releases cool, spicy and peppery flavours. It is used in German cooking to replace mustard in sauces, on grilled meat or in stews. Delicious: sprinkled over smoked salmon, in fresh yoghurt based sauce, on grated carrot salad, in a cream of white asparagus or with trout.

The word "horseradish" appeared in the French language in the 15th century. It came from old French "raiz", for "root" and "fort" which meant "bitter". Ground horseradish is obtained by grating the white roots of the perennial plant Armoracia rusticana. This long forgotten vegetable is long and oddly shaped and is a cousin of wasabi which is part of the Brassicaceae family.