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 In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

. 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.Staub, Jack E, Buchert, Ellen
75 Exceptional Herbs for Your Garden
Published by Gibbs Smith, 2008. , 9781423602514 This

annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...

can reach a height of , with many branches on the upper part. The white to pinkish flowers are only across, clustered in small branched

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s. When consumed raw, cress is a high-

nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

food containing substantial content of vitamins A, C and K and several dietary minerals.

In agriculture

Garden cress is commercially grown in England, France, and Scandinavia.Vegetables of Canada
NRC Research Press. , Cultivation of cress is practical both on mass scales and on the individual scale. Garden cress is suitable for hydroponic cultivation and thrives in slightly

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...

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. Edible shoots are typically harvested in one to two weeks after planting, when they are tall.Hirsch, David P.. Th
Moosewood Restaurant kitchen garden: creative gardening for the adventurous cook"> Moosewood Restaurant kitchen garden: creative gardening for the adventurous cook
Ten Speed Press, 2020. ,

Culinary uses

Garden cress is added to soups, sandwiches and salads for its tangy flavour. It is also eaten as sprouts, and the fresh or dried seed pods can be used as a peppery seasoning (''haloon''). In the United Kingdom, cut cress shoots are commonly used in sandwiches with boiled eggs,

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (; ), colloquially referred to as "mayo" , is a thick, cold, and creamy sauce or dressing commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, composed salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various other sauces, such as tartar ...

and salt.

Nutrition

Raw cress is 89% water, 6%

carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or may ...

(including 1%

dietary fiber Dietary fiber (in British English fibre) or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes. Dietary fibers are diverse in chemical composition, and can be grouped generally by the ...

), 3% protein and less than 1% fat (table). In a reference quantity, raw cress supplies of food energy 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'' in India, are commonly used in the system of Ayurveda. It is also known as ''asario'' in India and the Middle East where it is prized as a medicinal herb, called ''habbat al hamra'' (literally red seeds) in Arabic. In the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

, the seeds are traditionally mixed with custard to make a hot drink. ''L. sativum'' is often used in experiments to teach biology to students in schools; the plant grows readily on damp paper or cotton, and its fast germination and development time makes it useful in demonstrating plant growth.

Gallery

File:Cress keyboard-3 sprouting other side.jpg, Garden cress can grow almost anywhere. File:Garden cress timelapse.webm, Timelapse of garden cress sprouting. File:Garden cress curry.jpg, Garden cress saag (known as chamsur in Nepali) is a popular dish in Nepalese cuisine.

References