LETTERS
Deep Thoughts on Horseradish
My favorite holiday delicacy is served at Passover and its Seder, the feast of deliverance from Egyptian bondage.
Not lamb or matzoh, the unleavened bread that the Israelites hurriedly baked before beating feet out of Egypt. Nor the “Kharoseth,” the mix of apples, nuts and honey that symbolizes the brick and mortar of slave labor. No, not even the traditional four cups of Manischewitz.
I love the horseradish, the “Mahror,” the uncut, super-strong variety put out at Passover to symbolize the bitterness of slavery.
Not everybody understands how an item symbolizing bondage can be my favorite comfort food. But I have done some self-reassuring research:
According to “Horseradish Trivia,” in the past few millennia, this plant has been used as a treatment for rheumatism and lower back pain, a kind of cough syrup and an aphrodisiac. It also goes well with chicken, brisket and roast beef.
A versatile root, indeed.
The Egyptians knew horseradish. So did the Greeks. The Bible mentions it. In “The Root Queen’s Guide to Horseradish,” Judy McCann informs us that the word first appeared in English print in 1597, in a medicinal guide to herbs.
Dr. Phil,Phil Gold, Seattle-based historian and writer, not the TV shrink,said horseradish goes deep in Jewish history.
The Yiddish term is “Khrain,” Sephardic in origin, harkening to the Spanish Inquisition, when roving gangs sought out Jews secretly celebrating Passover. Spanish Jews emphasized horseradish because it was easier to conceal and dispose of than matzohs when the bad guys knocked on the door. Hence the proverb, “The Khrain in Spain goes mainly down the drain.”
Dr. Phil also related an anecdote demonstrating how even the long-ago bitterness of slavery can produce something sweet.
During the final stages of the Israeli-Egyptian peace negotiations, the Abu Rudeis oil fields, seized by Israel during the 1967 war, proved a sticking point. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was ready to hand them back but Egypt’s Anwar Sadat also wanted compensation for the oil the Israelis had taken during the Sinai occupation.
Finally, at least according to legend, Begin told Sadat, “Look, if you don’t charge us for the oil, we won’t charge you for the Pyramids.”
Sadat laughed and agreed, and perhaps chose not to mention that Hebrew slaves never worked on the Pyramids. After all, when there’s a chance to make peace, what’s a little oil or a few Pyramids to stand in the way?
Something to ponder the next time you taste something bitter.
Happy Passover and joyous Easter to all.
Michael Arnold Glueck
Newport Beach
