Vegetable
Lepidium sativum
S tier
Lepidium sativum is garden cress—a fast peppery annual in the mustard family grown for tiny green leaves and shoots with a clean wasabi-like bite. Ready in days as microgreens; mature leaves are more pungent. Distinct from watercress (Nasturtium) though both are peppery. Scatter on eggs, sandwiches, and soups; grow on windowsills. Species ID covers curly and broadleaf garden types. Use fresh; heat destroys the lively heat quickly.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Egg GarnishMicrogreen TraySalad SparkSandwich ScatterSoup Finish
Traits
Fast Peppery AnnualFresh OnlyMicrogreen FriendlyPepperySpecies PrimarySpecies UmbrellaTiny LeafWasabi Like Bite
History
IR
Persian and wider Near Eastern use of L. sativum as a pungent green is ancient.
GB
English gardens grew cress as a standard salad pot herb.
Egg-and-cress sandwiches fixed L. sativum in British tea culture.
Microgreen trays made garden cress a restaurant garnish staple.