Horseradish Lover

One of my favorite sandwich toppings, which I happened to indulge in today, is horseradish. Horseradish is believed to be used as far back as 1500 BC, by the Egyptians. It progressively spread throughout Europe and became popular in Germany. The German word for the tuber was 'meerrettish', meaning 'sea radish' since it was grown along the coast. In the mid 1600's, the English took a fond liking to 'meerrettish', but mispronounced it 'mareradish'. It was later called 'horseradish', which has stuck down to our time. I don't care what you call it, just put a spoonful on and watch my eyes water! It's a different kind of burn than say, jalapeno. It doesn't really burn as it goes down. It just seems to clear the olfactory system after you swallow. And the burn doesn't continue for some time afterward, like a hot pepper. I guess the Egyptians used it for rheumatoid arthritis and for gastrointestinal relief. If you read the blog about cheese, keep some horseradish around:) Actually, keep horseradish on hand, in case I come visit. Enjoy!