# Passover Horseradish **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879 "2005-05-08T00:54:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/1 "2005-05-08T00:54:07Z")
I waited 'till it was dark to ask. ;j Why does it have beets in it? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/2 "2005-05-08T01:15:43Z")
Both kinds of horseradish - white and red with beets - have always been available for Passover, and for the rest of the year. My WAG is that the eastern European/Russian heritage of many American Jews includes a fondness for the beets that are a common dish there and this carries over into the horseradish. I don’t know of any doctrinal reason to favor one over the other. Just a matter of taste. But I’ll let the more knowledgeable debate that one. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/3 "2005-05-08T18:28:27Z")
Beets are big. Witness the love of [Borscht](http://www.julesverne.ca/Russia_adoption/Trip-one/images/images_ekat/IMGP0677_borscht.jpg). We always had white ground up, but I know purists who insist upon real solid root. -gag- Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/4 "2005-05-08T19:44:52Z")
I always thought the beets are used to dilute the horseradish for those who want something a bit less strong. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/5 "2005-05-08T20:06:46Z")
> [@Ex\_Chemist](#): > > I always thought the beets are used to dilute the horseradish for those who want something a bit less strong. Good idea, but it’s hard to tell what’s horseradish and what’s beets. Perhaps a taste test. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/6 "2005-05-08T20:14:49Z")
I thought borscht was beet soup. What’s with all these [recipes](http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/borindex.htm) with borscht in the title but no beets in the ingredients? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/7 "2005-05-08T20:37:56Z")
Beets are very Red, and red horseradish usually somewhat pinkish. I seriously doubt that the percentage of ground up beet is high enough to tone down the heat of the horseradish, or add much flavor. The heat of prepared horseradish is usually controlled by varying the time between grinding, and adding the vinegar. The longer the mash sits before acidification, the hotter the product. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/8 "2005-05-08T21:27:40Z")
Is it to add sweetness? ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/9 "2005-05-09T15:39:45Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought borscht was beet soup. What’s with all these [recipes](http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/borindex.htm) with borscht in the title but no beets in the ingredients? I clicked on 3 of them, they all had beets… which one are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passover-horseradish/302879/10 "2005-05-09T16:18:15Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > I clicked on 3 of them, they all had beets… which one are you talking about? [Cabbage borscht with meat](http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/borsch19.htm)