Recipe: re: Horseradish

Your request intrigued me, so I have been surfing for the last several minutes to try and find an answer for you. Unfortunately nothing very solid, but I hope the information helps. I have never used dried horseradish, I have always been lucky enough to have fresh.

That would be my first suggestion - ask the store to find fresh horseradish root.

From the rest of my reading, as usual Cook's Thesaurus was very useful, but other sites confirm that horseradish loses it's pungcency fast, and I wonder if your mother has an old batch.

You could try adding vinegar, or mustard or wasabi.

Here is what Cook's Theaurus (http://foodsubs.com) said:
horseradish = chrain = horseradish relish = horseradish sauce = prepared horseradish Notes: This is a pungent condiment that usually accompanies meats and fish. It loses much of its bite after a few months in the refrigerator. Varieties of horseradish sauce include creamed horseradish = cream-style horseradish, which is made with mayonnaise and/or sour cream, red horseradish, which is made with beet juice, and white horseradish, which is made with vinegar.
To make your own: When exposed to air, the flesh of the horseradish root begins a enzymatic reaction that causes it to become first more pungent (this takes a few minutes), and then much less pungent (this takes about half an hour). Adding a sour liquid stops the reaction and locks in the heat for several months. To make horseradish sauce, peel a horseradish root and chop it into small pieces. Grind it in a blender, adding enough water or ice cubes to enable the blade to turn freely. For each cup of grated horseradish, add 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and blend thoroughly. Adding the vinegar immediately after grating will yield a mild horseradish. If you add the vinegar after a few minutes when the pungency peaks, the sauce will be hotter. WARNING: Fresh horseradish is surprisingly potent, so make sure your kitchen is very well ventilated, wear rubber gloves, and don't rub your eyes. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Substitutes: wasabi

Good luck! Tracey