Can Kale be hot like horseradish?
I just made a fruit smoothie with Kale, banana, Apple, blueberries, vegan protein powder, chia and flax. It was like drinking a smoothie with horse radish. The blueberries were the only difference with my favorite smoothie. Did the blueberries cause this drink to be spicy hot?
Best Answer
There's a chance the extra sugar from the blueberries has helped bring the peppery taste from the kale out a bit more. Kale is known for its light peppery flavor much like watercress but not any where near the heat of horseradish. The addition of sugar, much like salt is great for intensifying flavors.
Rather than try and describe the taste of kale myself, I'll use the words of someone else instead.
The flavor is peppery and assertive, and can have a pleasantly bitter edge.
Source: A Sweet and Savory Life <- A good read if you are more interested in kale.
So, in reply to your question. Yes, Kale can taste hot like Horseradish.
Pictures about "Can Kale be hot like horseradish?"
Quick Answer about "Can Kale be hot like horseradish?"
Yes, Kale can taste hot like Horseradish.Should kale be spicy?
An ancient member of the Brassica family, kale is the sometimes spicy, other times a bit sweet, usually slightly bitter ancestor of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi.Does kale have a hot taste?
Kale has a slightly bitter flavor with earthy notes. Kale has a refreshing and bold flavor, but the taste is rather mild compared to arugula or spinach. Kale has very thin yet juicy leaves that acquire a slightly sweet taste when cooked. Kale is strong-tasting but not spicy.What greens taste like horseradish?
What are Mustard Greens? Mustard greens are a leafy green vegetable that has a strong horseradish / wasabi / hot mustardy flavour when eaten raw. They're used in a wide variety of cuisines from Asia, Africa and even Italy. They're a part of the brassica family which includes broccoli, kale and cauliflower.How to Harvest Horseradish
More answers regarding can Kale be hot like horseradish?
Answer 2
Many leafy greens when harvested at full maturity are peppery. They are meant to be harvested young
So basically you got sold "old stock"
Answer 3
Yes, it can be hot. I juiced some Kale last night and it was nothing like what I have had before. This kale was like horseradish or hot mustard. The smell was so strong and pungent! And the taste was spicy/hot. It tasted like a wasabi smoothie.
Answer 4
I have never had kale that is hot. I bought what I was told was kale at the farm and art market. When I tried it, it was so hot. I think it was mustard greens. Looking at the pictures, they do look alike. It would not be good in a fruit smoothy.
Answer 5
As a member of the Brassica family kale contains at least some amount of glucosinolate, which is exactly the stuff that makes horseradish hot. It is present in other Brassica family members as well such as white cabbage or the like. Some varieties of kale might have more of it than others. The thing with glucosinolate is that it looses much of its heat during the cooking process, which is why cooked kale mostly doesn't taste hot. I assume you used raw kale in the smoothie, which means the glucosinolates were still intact. So it is entirely possible that this time you just picked a kale with a higher concentration of glucosinolate than usual.
Answer 6
It is possible that you used purple mustard greens, which looks a lot like kale.
This would account for the spiciness.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: David Bares, Silvia, Andrea Piacquadio, Ketut Subiyanto