National Horseradish Month - It’s National Horseradish Month. Delight your taste buds with this herb that’s guaranteed to sizzle up your plate!

National Horseradish Month 2024 – July 2024

National Horseradish Month is celebrated every year in July and we couldn’t be happier. It’s time we start talking about important stuff like horseradish. Not to get political, but horseradish is insanely good. If you haven’t had horseradish already, you’re in for a real treat. It’s a heavily underrated root vegetable that looks similar to ginger and whose taste can be best described as hot, spicy, peppery, and a little pungent.Sounds…delicious? We know what you’re thinking. But adding a little bit of it to your dish can truly elevate it and introduce your mouth to a whole new world of flavors! Horseradish is an easy way to beef up any dish and tantalize your taste buds.

History of National Horseradish Month

Horseradish has a long history and has been used across cultures for its many purposes. It is a root vegetable, cultivated and used around the world as a spice and a condiment. The species is likely native to southeastern Europe and western Asia and has been grown since ancient times. Even Roman senator Cato the Elder discussed the plant in his treatises on agriculture, while a mural in Pompeii depicts the plant. That’s how you know Horseradish is old.This 3,000-year-old plant has been used for everything — as an aphrodisiac, a treatment for rheumatism, a bitter herb for Passover seders, and a flavorful companion to beef, chicken, and seafood. Even the Egyptians knew about horseradish as early as 1500 B.C. Early Greeks used to rub it on the lower back of patients to relieve pain. Jewish people still use it during Passover seders as a bitter herb.Both its roots and leaves were used in the form of traditional medicine during the Middle Ages. The root was used as a condiment with meats in places like Germany, Scandinavia, and Britain. It was only introduced to North America during European colonization but quickly became popular there. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson mention horseradish in garden accounts. It’s such a versatile food that the Native Americans used it to stimulate glands, counter scurvy, and as a diaphoretic treatment for the common cold. Some cultures even believe that horseradish is the cure to everything!According to legend, Delphi, the oracle, told Apollo, “The radish is worth its weight in lead, the beet its weight in silver, the horseradish its weight in gold.” Now that’s high praise! Horseradish comes recommended by the High Priestess of the Temple of Apollo herself, the woman who knew everything. How do you say no to Delphi?

National Horseradish Month timeline

Mid-1500s
Loved by English Peasants

English peasantry cook beef and seafood with horseradish while the gentry takes little notice of it as a condiment.

Early 1600s
Popularity in Central Europe

Eating horseradish becomes popular in Central Europe, later gaining popularity in Scandinavia and England.

Late 1600s
Everybody Loves Horseradish

The English gentry begin consuming the root with beef and oysters and start growing it at inns and coach stations for tired travelers.

1850s
Horseradish Comes To America

Commercial cultivation in America begins as immigrants start horseradish farms in the Midwest.

National Horseradish Month FAQs

What does horseradish go well with?

It pairs well with the flavors of potatoes, beets, peas, broccoli, and leeks. Another popular way to use this herb is to spice up your roast beef sandwich with it.

Why does horseradish burn your sinus?

When horseradish is chopped or chewed, it releases a compound called allyl isothiocyanate. As we eat, this chemical’s vapor travels through the back of the mouth and up into the nasal cavity. This triggers a nerve response in the nose and sinuses, leading to a nose-tingling burn.

Are there any negatives to eating horseradish?

Horseradish is safe in normal food and medicinal amounts, but it contains mustard oil which is extremely irritating to the lining of the mouth, throat, nose, digestive system, and urinary tract. The herb can cause side effects including an upset stomach, bloody vomiting, and diarrhea. It could also slow down the activity of the thyroid gland.

National Horseradish Month Activities

  1. Look up new recipes

    Look up some recipes that involve horseradish and see how you can incorporate it into your food. While you’re doing this research, you can also search for other great foods that you haven’t tried before and experiment.

  2. Cook with horseradish

    It’s time to cook some delicious food now that you’ve looked up the recipes. Add some horseradish to your favorite meat dish and watch it transform into some of the best-tasting food you’ve ever had.

  3. Treat your friends

    Call over your friends and family and have a wholesome dinner party with them. Dazzle them with your cooking skills and introduce them to the wonderful condiment that is horseradish.

5 Facts About Horseradish That Will Blow Your Mind

  1. A replacement for wasabi

    Outside Japan, the condiment wasabi is now increasingly being made with horseradish because the wasabi plant is rare.

  2. It has biomedical uses

    The enzyme horseradish peroxidase (H.R.P.), found in the plant, is heavily used in molecular biology and biochemistry.

  3. It is poisonous to horses

    It’s ironic to note that horseradish is poisonous to our equine friends and they must never consume it.

  4. It becomes bitter when exposed to air

    On being exposed to air or heat, horseradish loses its pungency, becomes darker in color, and develops a bitter flavor.

  5. Horseradish got its name by mistake

    The German word for horseradish is ‘meerrettich’ which means sea radish, but the English mistook the name and pronounced it as ‘mareradish’ and the name eventually changed to ‘horseradish.’

Why We Love National Horseradish Month

  1. It has a unique taste

    Horseradish has a truly unique taste that’s unlike any other. It adds a little pizzazz to any dish it’s part of and elevates it. It’s a staple condiment in many parts of Europe and is slowly becoming popular in other parts of the world as well.

  2. It’s very healthy

    Different cultures have been using horseradish as a medicinal herb for centuries. It helps stimulate blood flow to the surface of the skin and beneath it, thereby alleviating pain. You can even treat the symptoms of illnesses like gout, arthritis, and chilblains by applying horseradish over the affected areas. It also relieves swollen joints and muscles.

  3. It’s very versatile

    Horseradish is a truly versatile plant as you can use it in almost any cuisine and in different ways. You can season a steak with it, sprinkle some with your salad, make soup out of it, use it as a dip, and even make dressing or sauce out of it.

National Horseradish Month dates

Year Date Day
2023 July 1 Saturday
2024 July 1 Monday
2025 July 1 Tuesday
2026 July 1 Wednesday
2027 July 1 Thursday
Keti Koti
International Chicken Wing Day
National Postal Workers Day
Dog House Repair Month
National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day
International Reggae Day
Smart Irrigation Month
American Zoo Day
National Gingersnap Day
ZIP Code Day
National Wrong Trousers Day
Canada Day
International Joke Day
Ghana Republic Day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Territory Day
CPC Founding Day
National U.S. Postage Stamp Day
Doctor's Day (India)
Burundi Independence Day
Heroes' Day of Zambia
Madeira Day
National Baby-Led Weaning Day
Second Second Half of the Year Day
National Financial Freedom Day
Sir Seretse Khama Day
Caribbean Community Day
Caricom Day
Mother's Day South Sudan
National Television Heritage Day
The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
Bank Employee Day (Guatemala)
Ketikoti
Early Bird Day
Virgin Islands Day
Singapore Armed Forces Day
Caricom Day
Liv Tyler's Birthday
Pamela Anderson's Birthday
Clean Beaches Week
National Culture Consciousness Week
National Childhood Obesity Week
National Transplant Week
Buddhist Lent Month
National Ice Cream Month
Social Wellness Month
National Cell Phone Courtesy Month
National Culinary Arts Month
Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month
National Baked Beans Month
National Blueberry Month
National Picnic Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Make A Difference to Children Month
National Watermelon Month
National Grilling Month
National Family Reunion Month
International Zine Month
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
National Anti Boredom Month
World Watercolor Month
International Group B Strep Awareness Month
Family Golf Month
Cord Blood Awareness Month
Beans Month
Corn Month
Independent Retailer Month
Good Care Month
National Pet Hydration Awareness Month
Wild About Wildlife Month
National Lost Pet Prevention Month
Nutrition Month Philippines
Fragile X Awareness Month
Talk to Us
National Horseradish Month
Bereaved Parents Awareness Month
National Bison Month
NATIONAL CONTRACT SEWING MONTH
French American Heritage Month
Hitchhiking Month
National Child Centered Divorce Month
Hemochromatosis Screening And Awareness Month
UV Safety Awareness Month
Lasagna Awareness Month
Sarcoma Awareness Month
Bank Account Bonus Month
AgitÁgueda
National Fishing Month
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
Herbal / Prescription Interaction Awareness Month
Bioterrorism / Disaster Education and Awareness Month
Global Enterprise Agility Month
National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month
Eggplant Month
International Women with Alopecia Month
NATIONAL HEMP MONTH
South Asian Heritage Month