Set the kale aside. New superfoods are emerging. Agriculture and nutrition experts recently identified the healthiest vegetables on the planet.
of CDC Assign a nutrient density score to your produce based on the concentration of essential vitamins and minerals. The usual suspect vegetables like spinach, chard, and beet greens all score in the 80s. However, watercress is the only vegetable that can receive a perfect score of 100.
“What is watercress?” you may ask. This leafy plant belongs to the Brassicaceae family and grows in freshwater bodies such as rivers and ponds. It is closely related to cabbage, kale, radish, and mustard. Its scientific name is Nasturtiumtranslated from Latin as “nose twister”. If you’ve ever taken a bite of a mature leaf, you’ll understand why.
Watercress has a tangy, peppery flavor, almost like a cross between arugula and horseradish. B&W quality producers It is reported that watercress has been eaten for over 3000 years. It was an essential ingredient in ancient Greek, Persian, and Roman civilizations. This peppery vegetable was even on the menu for the first Thanksgiving.
Some regions consider watercress because it is abundant in humid temperate environments. become a weed. But its steady supply also makes it a reliable and nutritious food source. BBC report In Victorian London, street vendors sold it as a snack and called it “poor man’s bread.” It has been consumed medicinally throughout Europe and Asia for thousands of years.
And they were clearly onto something. “Cress has many health benefits,” says Dr. Amy Lee, Director of Nutrition. nukfic. “It’s rich in vitamin A and potassium, more so than your average lettuce.” Plus, watercress contains even more vitamin C More than oranges – this explains why Captain James Cook thought it was a vegetable To cure scurvy while he was circling the globe.
The only downside? It can be difficult to find. “It’s not very common,” says Dr. Lee. “It can only be found at specialty markets or places like Whole Foods, not your typical Safeway.” But if you can get your hands on watercress, there are many ways to incorporate it into your diet.
Dishes using watercress
Young shoots have a milder flavor and soft, hollow stems. This makes it perfect for cooking raw, such as adding it to salads or topping dishes like parsley and coriander. Mature watercress takes on a more intense, peppery flavor. The stems also become tougher and more fibrous, so they need to be boiled down to make them more palatable.
Dr. Lee grew up eating plenty of watercress in stir-fries and flavorful soups. As with any vegetable, it’s important not to overcook it, says Dr. Lee. “The longer you cook vegetables, the more vitamins escape,” she says. “When it soaks into the cooking liquid, all that’s left is the vegetables.”
However, it is not always best to eat it raw. Especially for mature watercress, cooking can break down some of the fibrous stems, making more nutrients bioavailable. “There is a limited amount of time for food to be broken down and metabolized before it passes through the digestive system,” says Dr. Lee. “It’s a balancing act.”
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education: in Journalism and Communication from New York University and a Culinary Arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education.
About me: As an associate editor at Delish, Gabby works on everything from features to recipes and content for our social media channels. Before joining the team, she wrote for StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine, Mashed, and Food52. When she’s not developing cocktail recipes, she’s creating cocktail-inspired dishes such as and . Her features cover online trends like , rank everything from , and answer some of the most pressing food safety questions. You can also find her posted content on TikTok by Delish. Influencers like Nala Smith’s dishes have garnered more than 3 million total views. She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding heaps of Parmesan cheese to every dish she can.
