Vegetable
Curly Cress
A tier
Curly cress has finely frilled, almost mossy foliage that looks ornamental on plates while delivering the same quick peppery punch as plain garden cress. Texture is airy; heat is concentrated in small leaflets. Preferred when visual garnish matters as much as bite. Grow as microgreens or baby leaf; snip onto soups, tartares, and canapés. Curly form is a leaf shape selection within garden cress, not a different species. Use raw for full effect.
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Victorian gardeners selected frilled cress types for ornamental salads.
Seed packets distinguished curly cress for garnishing.
Fine dining microgreen programmes favoured curly cress for texture on the plate.
Curly cress remained a catalogue standard beside broadleaf types.