Olivier Poels 5:40 p.m., March 22, 2022
Watercress is a semi-aquatic plant that requires a lot of attention to grow.
Indeed, it needs very pure water.
For a very long time, we picked wild watercress mainly for medicinal uses, but not without danger, because of a parasite, the liver fluke.
In France, watercress cultivation did not begin until the beginning of the 19th century, in Picardy and Ile-deFrance.
It was the director of the hospitals of the Grande Armée who made the request, drawing inspiration from the German watercress beds created by Nicolas Messinger in the 17th century.
Méréville, in Essonne, still presents itself today as the capital of this small plant.
Unlike other lettuces, watercress is harvested in winter.
It is a plant very rich in iron, calcium and vitamin C. According to an old belief of the Romans, it would prevent baldness!
Watercress can be prepared in soup, with potatoes, and in salads.
watercress pesto recipe
Ingredients :
1 bunch watercress
20 cl of olive oil
4 tbsp.
at s.
grated parmesan
1 clove of garlic
1 C.
at s.
pine nuts
Salt pepper
Wash the watercress and cut off the tough stems
Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl