The nose twister (Watercress)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	Watercress
Date:	19/06/07 (660 review reads)
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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, I hope it is helpful.

History
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Watercress has been cultivated in Europe for centuries. The Romans ate Watercress believing it to help prevent baldness. The ancient Greeks called Watercress Kardamon and believed it could improve their intelligence.

The Anglo Saxons ate Watercress to help cleanse the blood. With the scientifically proven link between good diet and brain function the Greeks were right in their thinking. Watercress acts as a mild diuretic so again I can see why the Anglo Saxons thought Watercress could cleanse the blood. I can’t agree with the Roman thoughts on Watercress but who knows?

In some cultures Watercress is seen as an aphrodisiac. In 1970 an Arab prince had a special consignment of Watercress flown to him from the U.K believing it would help with his harem!

In the 1800’s many poor working class families included Watercress in their diet. It would usually be eaten at breakfast with bread, a much healthier start to the day than the modern day sugary cereal! Bunches of Watercress could be bought from street sellers and would be eaten like we eat an ice cream-again much better for you. Not sure my children would go for this treat though!

Watercress has been grown commercially in southern England since 1880 and its popularly is again on the increase.

Nutritional value.
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Watercress is one of the so-called super foods we all hear about. A study by the university of Ulster has shown that eating Watercress regularly can reduce D.N.A damage to white blood cells and therefore reduce the risk of developing cancer. If this doesn’t convince you then you may be interested to learn that Watercress is probably one of the most perfect foods nutritionally speaking, that you can eat. It is low in fat and had few calories and is packed with vitamins and minerals.

Watercress is rich in both Iron and folic acid. It contains vitamin C and A. It is also a good source of calcium. In fact gram for gram Watercress contains more Vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk and more Iron than spinach.

Watercress needs to be bought when it is fresh and should have dark green leaves with no sign of yellowing or wilting. I keep my Watercress in the fridge in its plastic bag and use quickly. Watercress will keep for about 5 days in the fridge and keeps best if you place the stalks in a cup of water and cover the tops with a plastic bag.

Recipe ideas.
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Watercress is in my opinion, a fantastic fast food. It needs little preparation and can be eaten as it is. I include Watercress in green salads and either dress with a squeeze of lemon juice or olive oil. To prepare Watercress simply cut of the woody stalks, wash and shake dry. I then like to tear the Watercress into small bunches and mix with other green salad leaves. I also add chopped green pepper. If you prefer you can just add the leaves, but this is a bit more time consuming and I’m lazy!

I also make Watercress sauce to add to fish. To do this make your usual white sauce and the add chopped Watercress in place of parsley. I actually prefer this to the parsley version as the sauce has more bite.

Watercress soup
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2 large bunches or bags of Watercress.

I onion.

1 leek.

2 medium sized potatoes.

Butter.

I pint of vegetable stock.

2 tablespoons of double cream.

1. Chop the onion and leek finely and add to the melted butter. Add the chopped Watercress and potatoes.
2. Cook gently for about 5 minutes or until everything is well coated and the onions soft.
3. Add the stock. I like to make my own but you can use a god quality stock cube.
4. Cover and simmer for about ½ hour or until everything is soft.
5. Remove from the heat, cool and then liquidise.
6. Stir in the cream. This is optional but does give the soup a lovely texture and flavour.

The soup is a meal in itself served with fresh wholemeal bread.

My children love this soup and I often make it to give them after school.

If you like marmite then try adding some watercress to your sandwich, I love it!

Watercress is available in most supermarkets and costs about 85p for an 85-gram bag. I like to buy bunches of organic Watercress and these usually cost abut £1.30 for a bunch. If you live in the south of England and have Watercress beds nearby you may be able to buy Watercress from your local farmers market ensuring you are getting a really fresh product.

If you have never tried Watercress then I highly recommend you do!

Summary: A plant containing lots of vitamins,calcium and minerals-tastes good too!