Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Watercress

Photo: The Watercress Experiment

Foods go in and out of fashion, and some are revered for what their proponents consider near-magic properties.

According to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, eating watercress can relieve acne and  wrinkles, and even prevent cancer. Others claim eating watercress is an effective way of losing weight.

The British have long been fond of this green, which grows in their country along streams and in wet places. It can be eaten in salad and also made into soup.

As long ago as 2007, scientists at the University of Ulster published a study in the American Journal of Nutrition that conferred the status of a superfood on this peppery little green.

My first encounter with watercress was the tangy surprise of the green garnish on a Scotch egg. This was a long time ago, in the cafe of the Tate Gallery in London. Watercress was then almost unheard-of in western Canada. Actually, it still isn't terribly common here.

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