Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Watercress along with all the Watercress containing recipes presented on this site, with 51 recipes in total.

These recipes, all contain Watercress as a major wild food ingredient.

Watercress, Nasturtium officinale, (syn Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum Hayek and Sisymbrium nasturtium-aquaticum L.) is a fast growing aquatic (or sometimes semi-aquatic) perennial of the Brassicaceae (cabbage) family. Botanically it is a close relative of both garden cress and mustard (they all have a tangy, peppery, flavour). Watercress is native from Europe to central Asia and is one of the oldest of the leaf vegetables known to be consumed by humans.

As an aquatic plant the stems of watercress float and the leaves are pinnately compound. The plants produce clusters of small white and green flowers. Cultivation of watercress is practical on both a large scale and a garden scale. Being semi-aquatic, watercress is well-suited to hydroponic cultivation, thriving best in water that is slightly alkaline. It is frequently produced around the headwaters of chalk streams. Watercress seeds are commercially available and should be planted in damp compost within pots. These pots can then be placed in ponds (watercress is an excellent oxygenator and helps to keep ponds clear) or they can be placed in polythene-lined pits that are topped-up with water.

Unharvested or mature wild watercress can grow to a maximum height of 120cm and plants harvested about two days after germination are sometimes sold as sprouts. The older the plants the more pronounced the flavour, though the leaves tend to become bitter and unpalatable when in flower. Wild watercress tends to grow wild in fast-flowing streams and they prefer alkaline waters. As a result you will tend to find watercress most commonly near the headwaters of chalk streams. If you pick wild watercress make sure you cook it before consumption as it can harbour the larvae of liver-fluke. Commercially-grown watercress is safe to consume raw in salads. Watercress also makes an excellent green soup.

Cultivated watercress, Nasturtium officinale was domesticated from wild watercress. Watercress is listed in some sources as belonging to the genus Rorippa, although molecular evidence shows those aquatic species with hollow stems are more closely related to Cardamine than Rorippa.

Watercress can be eaten raw or cooked. Typically it's used in salads or as garnishes for other dishes, but it's also good added at the last minute to stir-fries. It is also good added to sandwiches. The leaves are exceptionally rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron. The plant has a spicy, mustard-like flavour. Indeed, the seeds can be ground to a powder and used as a mustard substitute (it can be used as a spice and for making mustard paste). Just like mustard, the pungency of watercress develops when cold water is added to the ground-up seed. Chemically, an enzyme (myrosin) acts on a glycoside (sinigrin) to produce a sulphur compound. The reaction takes 10–15 minutes. Mixing with hot water or vinegar, or adding salt, inhibits the enzyme and produces a mild but bitter mustard

References:

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(Note that the above book links are Amazon Affiliate links)