Watercress

[dicentra63]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Tabouli" <tabouli at u...> wrote:
> Jennifer Boggess Ramon:
> > Besides, an afternoon tea is a perfect excuse to haul out the
devilled egg plate and make watercress and cucumber sandwiches sans
crust.<
> 
> Poking my head out of a pile of paper to ask... what on *earth* is
watercress like?  English children always seem to be munching on egg
and cress sandwiches in books, and I was always curious about it.  Is
it widely eaten?  What does it look and taste like?  (some cookbook
told me it tastes "peppery" (?))  Can you actually scoop it out of a
pond and wash it off to eat?
> 
I don't know if the Brits eat the same version, but something we call
watercress grows in cold, swift creeks in the Rocky Mountains.  Yeah,
you can pretty much just grab a handful and eat it, though it's always
prudent to wash it in potable water first. (I guess you don't need to
be told about the dangers of Giardia.)  And it's kind of "peppery." 
If you've ever eaten Nasturtium leaves (Tropaeolum), they're like
that, only not so strong.

--Dicey, who can't stand it but whose father was crazy about it and
made her eat it when they were camping