Growing up I ate the peppery root once a year, when a scoop of white or beet-stained prepared horseradish played a starring role as the "bitter herb" at my family's Passover seder.

Today, the pungent, nose-tickling condiment immediately conjures up thoughts of springtime, my parents' dining room table, and how my brother and I would compete to see who could eat the most horseradish without crying.

Recently though, while having brunch with friends, I discovered horseradish being used in an entirely unfamiliar context: as a mix-in to scrambled eggs. Was it a life changing meal? Not particularly. But it was delicious, and the experience got me thinking that maybe horseradish deserved year-round attention.

With other fiery condiments like wasabi increasingly gaining favor in American kitchens, now seems like a perfect time for a horseradish renaissance.

Native to Eastern Europe, horseradish is relative to mustard greens, broccoli rabe and, yes, radishes. It is a particularly ugly thing — not much more than a dry and gnarled brown root — and for centuries it was used only in medicinal contexts before catching on as a culinary ingredient.

My Lithuanian ancestors likely ate it as a topping on fish, cold meat, and kugel. And by the late 1600s, horseradish had traveled to central and western Europe, where Englanders favored it as a pairing for beef and oysters.

They knew then what I'm learning now: despite its fierce bite, horseradish is a surprisingly versatile ingredient. Particularly when left raw (heat mellows the spiciness), it makes a natural companion to red meat and creamy root vegetable soups, where its heat cuts through the dishes' richness.

It also perks up lighter fare from springtime salad dressings to pickled beets and eggs, adds a little kick to certain sweet dishes like applesauce, and is a classic mix-in to drinks like the bloody Mary.

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