Garden cress
| Garden cress | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Young plants | |
Scientific classification | |
| 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] | |
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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.
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 (1⁄12 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.
Garden cress in agriculture
Garden cress is commercially grown in England, France, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.[6]
Cultivation of garden 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
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 134 kJ (32 kcal) |
Carbohydrates | 5.5 g |
| Sugars | 4.4 g |
| Dietary fiber | 1.1 g |
Fat | 0.7 g |
Protein | 2.6 g |
| Vitamins | Quantity%DV† |
| Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene lutein zeaxanthin | 43% 346 μg38% 4150 μg12500 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 | 13% 606 mg |
| Other constituents | Quantity |
| Water | 89.4 g |
Full Link to USDA Database entry | |
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| †Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. | |
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, mayonnaise and salt.
Nutrition
Raw cress is 89% water, 6% carbohydrates (including 1% dietary fiber), 3% protein and less than 1% fat (table). In a 100 gram amount, raw cress supplies 32 calories 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
Garden cress, known as chandrashoor, and the seeds, known as aaliv or aleev in Marathi, or halloon[8] in India, are commonly used in the system of Ayurveda.[9] It is also known as asario in India[10] and the Middle East where it is prized as a medicinal herb, called habbat al hamra (literally red seeds) in Arabic.[11] In the Arabian Peninsula, the seeds are traditionally mixed with custard to make a hot drink.
| This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Metasyntactic variable, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. |