Indian cress
- noun
- /ˈɪndiən krɛs/
- UK
:
berro indio
- Pickled seeds of the Indian cress are often used as a substitute for capers in recipes.
Examples
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The garden was brightened by clusters of brilliant Indian cress flowers climbing the fence.
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She added fresh Indian cress leaves to the salad for a peppery flavor.
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The garden is filled with Indian cress this season.
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Have you ever tried Indian cress in your salad?
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The chef garnished the dish with pickled seeds of Indian cress, which taste similar to capers.
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He planted Indian cress in his garden to enjoy its vibrant orange flowers and spicy leaves.
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Salads become more interesting when you add fresh Indian cress for its unique, peppery flavor.
Synonyms
A fast-growing climbing plant with large orange or yellow flowers and pickled seeds you can eat
A climbing plant with bright orange flowers whose seeds people sometimes eat like capers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositional: 'Indian' simply modifies 'cress', so a learner who knows 'Indian' and 'cress' will infer it is a type of cress (a plant/herb), likely associated geographically or by origin. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift in meaning, and such modifier+noun plant names are cross‑linguistically common, making the term transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Indian cress gets its name from early European visitors who found the plant in the Americas, which they often called the 'Indies', and noticed its leaves tasted like garden 'cress'. So Indian (from the New World) and cress (a peppery salad herb) create a clear image and explain why people eat its spicy leaves and use its seeds like capers today.
