Watercress

Description: Watercress (Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticum, N. microphyllum) are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennials ... more

Watercress ... native from Europe to central Asia and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings. These plants are members of the Family Brassicaceae or cabbage family, botanically related to garden cress and mustard — all noteworthy for a peppery, tangy flavor.

Newest Review: ... watercress. Each year there is a festival in May to celebrate watercress and the Watercress Heritage Railway which acquired its name because it was used to transport all the watercress to the markets in Covent Garden. Watercress is grown in spring water on shallow gravel beds and for this reason cultivation in the home garden is difficult. The plant has a long and interesting history ... more

... beginning in 400bc on the Greek island of Kos where Hippocrates is said to have located his first hospital next to a stream so that he could grow watercress to treat his patients. The Romans and the Anglo Saxons ate it because they said it helped to prevent...more

Read Reviews for Watercress

The Wonders Of Watercress! (1109 words)
by - written on 10/01/09 (Very useful, 216 readings)
Rating:

The Wonders of Watercress! I love watercress and have been eating it for years. It is extremely nutritious, cheap and may even help to prevent cancer so why is it such a forgotten salad vegetable? I think the simple reason is that it is more often than not sold in bags in supermarkets, and whilst I do buy it this way unless you select the newly delivered bags or shop in Waitrose you often find it doesn't keep all that well. This is difficult because we are all so busy and trying to watch the pennies that wasting food is simply not acceptable. If you can go to your local greengrocer you will be able to pick actual bunches tied up and these are the ... Read the complete review

Tasty Salad Leaves For A Change From Lettuce (368 words)
by - written on 09/05/08 (Very useful, 98 readings)
Rating:

Watercress is one of my favourite foods. It comes in big cellophane packs from supermarkets like Tesco and Marks & Spencer. I particulary like the one stocked by M&S in early summer onwards. It is imported from Portugal because our own watercress season doesn't start until later in year. This is a leafy salad vegetable that has a peppery taste to it. It is great in salads, or in sandwiches. My favourite way of using it is to put it into sandwiches with Marmite. This is an extremely tasty and nutritious way to eat it, not to mention its befits if you are a diet. Watercress is grown in or near water and it was first introduced to England by ... Read the complete review

Watercress: The nose twister (959 words)
by - written on 19/06/07 (Very useful, 647 readings)
Rating:

Watercress has been cultivated for centuries and has been one of my favourite foods for almost as long! Watercress is a semi-aquatic plant and grows best in chalk areas where the Watercress beds are fed by a constant flow of slightly chalky spring water. The Latin name for Watercress, Nasturtium officinal, meaning nose twister, describes its pungent smell well. Watercress has a lovely peppery taste with a good crunch. It is actually a member of the cabbage family although I don’t think it tastes remotely the same as cabbage. As it is at its best around June I thought now is the obvious time to give you an insight this fascinating and highly nutritious food, ... Read the complete review