The ingredients in horseradish are quite clear. That is what’s confusing about it. I contacted Silver Spring Foods in search of answers straight from the horseradish’s mouth…
Dear Horseradish Wranglers,
From what I can tell, Silver Spring is the Clydesdale of Horseradish. But what the heck is horseradish? The first ingredient in horseradish is horseradish, so that doesn’t help much. What percent is horse and what percent is radish?
Also, what’s the story on that grotesque glow-in-the-dark purply putrid borscht-colored horseradish? I’d rather have a root canal than choke down some of that stuff. That color has got to go!
If I owned a racehorse, I’d name it Horseradish.
A Customer Service Representative from Huntsinger Companies, makers of Silver Spring Horseradish, responded with:
Thank you for taking the time to write us regarding your love of our horseradish! As the world’s largest grower and processor of horseradish we take pride in the quality of our products.
Again, thank you for your kind words. Enclosed please find a coupon for free product. Try our Beer’n Brat Mustard. It has won the World Mustard Competition for horseradish mustard many times. Enjoy!
Final Thoughts: While the Free Coupon is appreciated, the rest avoided the key question. The world’s largest grower and processor of horseradish didn’t even provide a clue as to what it actually is. In fact, they made things more confusing. There’s not only horseradish, there’s horseradish mustard. Upon further research it seems horseradish isn’t really a radish. It’s a plant that comes from the mustard family. So, why isn’t it horsemustard or horseplant mustard? For that matter, how did horse get in the name in the first place? Maybe it should be called plantmustard. Plus mustard is yellow, and horseradish appears to range from white to creamy beige, so why use that preposterous purple?
It would have been helpful if they mentioned that there’s lots of information about horseradish at the Silver Spring Foods website, including a movie. When you can’t understand something about a product, don’t horse around with it. Do some research or at least Write The Company.
6 Responses to "Horseradish, Huh?"
Barry Dalton
January 22, 2010 at 11:48 am
…and so then if horseradish is a plant in the mustard family, isn’t the name “horseradish mustard” kind of redundant? Keep up the great work!
Write The Company
January 22, 2010 at 2:26 pm
On one extreme there’s Jumbo Shrimp, which is completely contradictory. On the other end, there’s Mahi Mahi, which is about as redundant as it gets. Horseradish Mustard falls in the middle. It might be semi-redundant, although I’m not sure if that applies when two foods are related, but one is not part of the immediate family.
@wkempf
January 22, 2010 at 5:44 pm
The first link on google took me to Horseradish Trivia (see below). Further googling said that it’s a root that only grows if fertilized by horses. I’m sure I just ruined it for everyone. I apologize.
Horseradish Trivia
Before being named “horseradish,” the plant was known as “redcole” in England and as “stingnose” in some parts of the U.S.? – http://www.horseradish.org/history.html
Write The Company
January 22, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I doubt we’ll ever see horseradish product labels that say, “Made with roots fertilized by horses.” If there’s any truth to that, it’s better kept secret. Thanks for sharing the link to the Horseradish Information Council. The website mentions that Silver Spring is one of 6 horseradish processors in the Council, which is “working together to broaden the appeal and increase year-round usage of commercially processed horseradish and related products.”
ShelleyD
January 23, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Over the years, both my husband and myself have noticed that horseradish seems to be losing the heat of the race. Years ago, we could buy horseradish that would literally “knock your socks off!” One small dab of horseradish was the best decongestant around.
Now, I think the horseradish industry has gone soft. We have tried every make and type in order to recreate the experience that made our hair stand on end, made us speechless, and made our eyes water. Just thinking about it has cleared my sinuses.
Time to make my own?
Write The Company
January 23, 2010 at 6:35 pm
My experiences with horseradish haven’t been nearly as exciting as yours. You were eating it, right? Let us know if you make your own and how it turns out!