Garden cress

Last updated

Garden cress
Lepidium sativum 2019-05-04 2820.jpg
One mature Lepidium sativum rosette
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Lepidium
Species:
L. sativum
Binomial name
Lepidium sativum
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • Arabis chinensisRottler ex Wight
  • Cardamon sativum(L.) Fourr.
  • Crucifera nasturtiumE.H.L.Krause
  • Lepia sativa(L.) Desv.
  • Lepidium sativum var. spinescens(DC.) Jafri
  • Lepidium spinescensDC.
  • Nasturtium crispumMedik.
  • Nasturtium sativum(L.) Moench
  • Nasturtium spinescens(DC.) Kuntze
  • Thlaspi sativum(L.) Crantz
  • Thlaspidium sativum(L.) Spach

Cress (Lepidium sativum), sometimes referred to as garden cress (or curly cress) to distinguish it from similar plants also referred to as cress (from old Germanic cresso which means sharp, spicy), is a rather fast-growing, edible herb.

Contents

Garden cress is genetically related to watercress and mustard, sharing their peppery, tangy flavour and aroma. In some regions, garden cress is known as mustard and cress, garden pepper cress, pepperwort, pepper grass, or poor man's pepper. [2] [3]

This annual plant can reach a height of 60 cm (24 in), with many branches on the upper part. The white to pinkish flowers are only 2 mm (116 in) across, clustered in small branched racemes. [4] [5]

When consumed raw, cress is a high-nutrient food containing substantial content of vitamins A, C and K and several dietary minerals.

In agriculture


Cultivation of cress is practical both on mass scales and on the individual scale. Garden cress is suitable for hydroponic cultivation and thrives in slightly alkaline water. In many local markets, the demand for hydroponically grown cress can exceed available supply, partially because cress leaves are not suitable for distribution in dried form, so they can only be partially preserved. Consumers commonly acquire cress as seeds or (in Europe) from markets as boxes of young live shoots. [6]

Edible shoots are typically harvested in one to two weeks after planting, when they are 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tall. [7]

Culinary uses

Garden cress is added to soups, sandwiches and salads for its tangy flavour. [7] It is also eaten as sprouts, and the fresh or dried seed pods can be used as a peppery seasoning (haloon). [6] In the United Kingdom, cut cress shoots are commonly used in sandwiches with boiled eggs and mayonnaise. [8] [9] [10]

Garden cress, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 134 kJ (32 kcal)
5.5 g
Sugars 4.4 g
Dietary fiber 1.1 g
Fat
0.7 g
2.6 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
43%
346 μg
38%
4150 μg
12500 μg
Thiamine (B1)
7%
0.08 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
22%
0.26 mg
Niacin (B3)
7%
1 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
5%
0.247 mg
Vitamin B6
19%
0.247 mg
Folate (B9)
20%
80 μg
Vitamin C
83%
69 mg
Vitamin E
5%
0.7 mg
Vitamin K
516%
541.9 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
8%
81 mg
Iron
10%
1.3 mg
Magnesium
11%
38 mg
Manganese
26%
0.553 mg
Phosphorus
11%
76 mg
Potassium
20%
606 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water89.4 g

Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

Nutrition

Raw cress is 89% water, 6% carbohydrates (including 1% dietary fiber), 3% protein and less than 1% fat (table). In a 100-gram (3+12-ounce) reference quantity, raw cress supplies 134 kilojoules (32 kilocalories) of food energy and numerous nutrients in significant content, including vitamin K (516% of the Daily Value, DV), vitamin C (83% DV) and vitamin A (43% DV). Among dietary minerals, manganese levels are high (26% DV) while several others, including potassium and magnesium, are in moderate content (table).

Other uses

The seeds of garden cress Lepidium sativum seeds.jpg
The seeds of garden cress

Garden cress, known as chandrashoor, and the seeds, known as aaliv or aleev in Marathi, or halloon [11] in India, are commonly used in the system of Ayurveda. [12] It is also known as asario in India [13] and the Middle East where it is prized as a medicinal herb, called habbat al hamra (literally red seeds) in Arabic. [14] In the Arabian Peninsula, the seeds are traditionally mixed with custard to make a hot drink. [15]

L. sativum is often used in experiments to teach biology to students in schools. The plant grows readily on damp paper or cotton, and its fast germination and development time makes it useful in demonstrating plant growth. [16] [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caraway</span> Type of spice

Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin, is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fennel</span> Flowering plant species in the carrot family

Fennel is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea coast and on riverbanks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coriander</span> Annual herb

Coriander, also known as cilantro, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watercress</span> Species of flowering plant in the cabbage family

Watercress or yellowcress is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae.

<i>Cochlearia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Cochlearia is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in coastal regions, on cliff-tops and salt marshes where their high tolerance of salt enables them to avoid competition from larger, but less salt-tolerant plants; they also occur in alpine habitats in mountains and tundra.

<i>Nasturtium</i> (plant genus) Genus of flowering plants

Nasturtium is a genus of a small number of plant species in the family Brassicaceae commonly known as watercress or yellowcress. The best known species are the edible Nasturtium officinale and Nasturtium microphyllum. Nasturtium was previously synonymised with Rorippa, but molecular evidence supports its maintenance as a distinct genus more closely related to Cardamine than to Rorippasensu stricto.

<i>Barbarea verna</i> Species of plant in the family Brassicaceae

Barbarea verna is a biennial herb in the family Brassicaceae. Common names include land cress, American cress, bank cress, black wood cress, Belle Isle cress, Bermuda cress, poor man's cabbage, early yellowrocket, early wintercress, scurvy cress, creasy greens, and upland cress. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia, and naturalized elsewhere It has been cultivated as a leaf vegetable in England since the 17th century. As it requires less water than watercress, it is easier to cultivate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf vegetable</span> Plant leaves eaten as a vegetable

Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad greens.

Sativa, sativus, and sativum are Latin botanical adjectives meaning cultivated. It is often associated botanically with plants that promote good health and used to designate certain seed-grown domestic crops.

<i>Lepidium campestre</i> Species of flowering plant

Lepidium campestre, the field pepperwort, field peppercress, field peppergrass, field pepperweed or field cress, is usually a biennial with some form of annual plant in the Brassicaceae or mustard family, native to Europe, but commonly found in North America as an invasive weed. The most notable characteristic of field pepperweed is the raceme of flowers which forks off of the stem. These racemes are made up of first small white flowers and later green, flat and oval seedpods each about 6 mm long and 4 mm wide. Each seedpod contains two brown, 2.5 mm long seeds.

<i>Lepidium virginicum</i> Species of flowering plant

Lepidium virginicum, also known as least pepperwort or Virginia pepperweed, is an herbaceous plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to much of North America, including most of the United States and Mexico and southern regions of Canada, as well as most of Central America. It can be found elsewhere as an introduced species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egg sandwich</span> Sandwich with some kind of egg filling

An egg sandwich is a sandwich with some kind of cooked egg filling. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, omelette, sliced boiled eggs and egg salad are popular options. In the fifth case, it may be called an egg salad sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banana pepper</span> Type of chili pepper

The banana pepper is a medium-sized member of the chili pepper family that has a mild, tangy taste. While typically bright yellow, it is possible for them to change to green, red, or orange as they ripen. It is often pickled, stuffed or used as a raw ingredient in foods. It is a cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum. Its flavor is not very hot and, as is the case with most peppers, its heat depends on the maturity of the pepper, with the ripest being sweeter than younger ones.

Uvariopsis tripetala is a species of plant in the Annonaceae family. It is found in Ghana and Nigeria. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Eruca vesicaria</i> Edible annual plant

Rocket, eruca, or arugula is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh, tart, bitter, and peppery flavor. Its other common names include "garden rocket", as well as "colewort", "roquette", "ruchetta", "rucola", "rucoli", and "rugula". E. vesicaria is widely popular as a salad vegetable and it is a species of Eruca native to the Mediterranean region.

<i>Lepidium oleraceum</i> Species of flowering plant

Lepidium oleraceum is a herb in the family Brassicaceae, endemic to New Zealand. Its English common name is Cook's scurvy grass; Māori names include nau, ngau, naunau and heketara.

<i>Lepidium didymum</i> Species of flowering plant

Lepidium didymum, the lesser swine-cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spice use in antiquity</span>

The history of spices reach back thousands of years, dating back to the 8th century B.C. Spices are widely known to be developed and discovered in Asian civilizations. Spices have been used in a variety of antique developments for their unique qualities. There were a variety of spices that were used for common purposes across the ancient world. Different spices hold a value that can create a variety of products designed to enhance or suppress certain taste and/or sensations. Spices were also associated with certain rituals to perpetuate a superstition or fulfill a religious obligation, among other things.

<i>Lepidium coronopus</i> Species of flowering plant

Lepidium coronopus,, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to parts of Africa, western Asia and Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultivated fields.

References

  1. "Lepidium sativum L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  2. Cassidy, Frederic Gomes and Hall, Joan Houston. Dictionary of American regional English, Harvard University Press, 2002. Page 97. ISBN   0-674-00884-7, ISBN   978-0-674-00884-7
  3. Staub, Jack E, Buchert, Ellen. 75 Exceptional Herbs for Your Garden Published by Gibbs Smith, 2008. ISBN   1-4236-0251-X, 9781423602514
  4. Vegetables of Canada. Published by NRC Research Press. ISBN   0-660-19503-8, ISBN   978-0-660-19503-2
  5. Boswell, John T. and Sowerby, James. English Botany: Or, Coloured Figures of British Plants. Robert Hardwicke, 1863. Page 215.
  6. 1 2 Vegetables of Canada. NRC Research Press. ISBN   0-660-19503-8, ISBN   978-0-660-19503-2
  7. 1 2 Hirsch, David P.. The Moosewood Restaurant kitchen garden: creative gardening for the adventurous cook. Ten Speed Press, 2020. ISBN   1-58008-666-7, ISBN   978-1-58008-666-0
  8. "Homegrown Egg & Cress Sandwich". Prestige. Meyer Corporation . Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  9. "Tesco Egg & Cress Sandwich". Tesco. Tesco . Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  10. Cloake, Felicity. "How to make the perfect egg mayonnaise sandwich". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group . Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  11. "ORGANIC INDIA, Organic Herbs - Garden Cress". Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  12. The Wealth of Indian Raw Materials. New Delhi: Publication and information Directorate. 1979. pp. CSIR Vol 9, Page 71–72.
  13. mahendra. "Asario Seeds Suppliers". krishna india. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  14. "Traditional cookery, craft lessons from Emirati housewives". The National. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  15. "Haba Al Hamra Drink with Custard". Taste of Emarat. 2015-11-01. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  16. "Using Cress in the Lab". www.saps.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  17. "Garden cress seeds: Benefits, uses and side effects". Alwosta. 2018-03-25. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21.