In Part 9 of the Book of Salt, Binh and the man from the bridge have a meal together. The man takes Binh to a Chinese restaurant and orders for the both of them:
salt and pepper shrimp with the shells intact. Binh describes the food as it arrives at the table. On one plate was a “pink mound of shrimp,” and on the other was “Haricot verts sauteed in garlic and ginger . . . and watercress wilted by a flash of heat . . . ” (96). This delicious imagery gave me multiple avenues to research, so I decided to learn more about the food item I have never heard before, watercress.
Watercress is an herb with a lot of history. Records of its use date back to ancient Greece, Rome, and Persia. Most notably, watercress was cultivated by Hippocrates in the 4th century. That being said, there is a Chinese watercress which is not native. Research speculates that it was brought to the country after a Chinese man brought seeds from traveling in the West. Like most plants, this herb was believed to have medicinal benefits. Hippocrates built his first hospital near a stream in Kos, Greece so that he could easily grow and use watercress. Some of its super powers included treating eczema, cold symptoms, alleviating hangovers and a host of other abilities. Watercress soup popularized in 1800s Britain after claims that it cleanses your blood. It became widely used in children’s meals to promote health, and is often used as a garnish. In recent years, British farmers have attempted to promote the marketing of this herb due to its superfood qualities.
Cuppage, Francis E. James Cook and the conquest of scurvy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994. Print
https://www.healwithfood.org/articles/watercress-oldest-healing-food.php
https://www.watercress.co.uk/historical-facts#:~:text=%20A%20Rich%20Culinary%20Heritage%20-%20Nine%20historical,period%20when%20the%20development%20of%20the…%20More%20