No. 98

Grated Horseradish and Horseradish Ribbons

Raifort Rape et en Rubans

Grated horseradish should be made of clean, fresh horseradish root, peeled or scraped, washed and dried, then rubbed against a large grater; it can either be served fresh or put into a stone jar with salt and vinegar, corking it well to preserve till needed. For horseradish ribbons, peel the root the same as for grating, and scrape it with the sharp blade of a knife, held at an angle from the top to the bottom; by this method fine ribbons of the root are obtained; let them be as long as it is possible to have them. Long horseradish should be used for this purpose.

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For the Modern Kitchen

Two preparations of one root, both of which depend entirely on how recently the root was cut. Everything else here is technique.

The hinge: work fast, dress it fastHorseradish has no pungency until the cells are broken; grating triggers an enzyme reaction that produces the volatile heat, and that heat begins dissipating within minutes and turns bitter as it goes. Grate immediately before serving, or mix with vinegar within a minute or two, which halts the reaction and locks in the sharpness at whatever level it has reached.
Choosing the rootRanhofer's "long horseradish" presumably means a long root, and in practice only a straight, unbranched one will yield ribbons of any length. Look for firm roots with no soft spots or green-tinged interior; a limp root has already lost most of its bite and will grate to a woody mush.
GratingA rasp-style grater or the fine side of a box grater gives the fluffy texture intended. A food processor works and spares your eyes, but pulse rather than run it, or you get a wet paste. Either way, do it in a ventilated spot and keep your face back from the bowl; the vapors are far more aggressive than onion.
RibbonsDraw a sharp paring knife or a swivel vegetable peeler down the length of the peeled root at a shallow angle. Dropping the ribbons into ice water for ten minutes makes them curl and stay crisp for a garnish; drain and dry them before they go on the plate.
The stone jarThe jar of grated root with salt and vinegar is a working pantry preserve, and the acidity does the preserving. Use a glass jar, cover the horseradish completely with vinegar, and keep it refrigerated; even so it fades noticeably after three or four weeks and should be treated as a short-term keeper, not a canned good.
Vinegar choiceWhite wine vinegar or plain distilled vinegar keeps the color clean. Cider vinegar gives a rounder flavor but tints the root; malt vinegar overwhelms it.
Yield and useA root about eight inches long and an inch and a half thick gives roughly a cup of grated horseradish. This page itself says nothing about service; in kitchens of the period grated horseradish accompanied boiled and roast beef, smoked fish and cold meats, either loose or folded into whipped cream for a sauce.

A Little History

Raifort is simply the French for horseradish, and its presence in the elementary-methods chapter of Charles Ranhofer's The Epicurean (1894) reflects how a Delmonico's kitchen worked: the grated root and the ribbon garnish were components kept ready for dozens of finished dishes rather than a dish in themselves. Horseradish, Armoracia rusticana, is a mustard-family plant of eastern European origin that reached the English and German table as a condiment for beef long before it appeared in French haute cuisine. The distinction Ranhofer draws between the fresh grating and the jar under salt and vinegar is the whole practical problem with the root in one line, since its pungent compounds are formed only on cutting and begin escaping at once, which is also why commercial "prepared horseradish" is commonly sold packed in acid.