If you walk past The Pickle Guys store at 49 Essex St. this week, you'll probably see a man in a gas mask standing in front.
It isn't a bioterrorism attack he's worried about; it's the fumes from the horseradish he's grinding for Passover Seders this Friday.
Jewish New Yorkers serve the herbs at their holiday meal as a reminder of the bitterness of their ancestors' enslavement in Egypt. When ground, horseradish releases a colorless oil that burns the eyes and nose.
The Pickle Guys' shop on the Lower East Side prepares and sells roughly 400 pounds of Kosher horseradish a day in the two weeks leading up to Passover, estimated William Soo, an employee who's lived in the neighborhood most of his life.
It takes him about 10 minutes to prepare a jar from start to finish, the 16 oz. versions of which cost $9, the 32 oz. versions $18.
Waiting for her own order, Lower East Side resident Laura Nova said she buys horseradish at The Pickle Guys because it's fresh and portable — a plus because she'll be bringing a jar to a seder in New Jersey.
An added bonus: "It will clear your sinuses," she said.
We asked the Pickle Guys to show us how they make the horseradish that keeps regulars like Nova coming back year after year.
STEP 1: First, the top of the root is hacked off.
"Some of the tops are greener, and we save some of the tops so [customers] can put it on their Seder plates," said Milton Garlick, a part-time employee who got his start in the pickle business in 1976 and now works only during the holiday rush.
"Soon as we finish trimming it, we take it and put it in the water, because it'll start oxidizing right away and it'll start turning brown or black," Garlick said. The root is then transferred to a dry bucket and carried to the grinder near the storefront.
STEP 2: The root is ground by an employee wearing a gas mask to protect them from the fumes.
"Definitely, the gas mask helps quite a bit," said Soo, his eyes watering slightly when he takes his off.
STEP 3: A mixture of salt, apple cider vinegar, and water is added to the ground horseradish.
"That's what keeps from the white from turning brown," Soo said, referring to the oxidization process.
Everything is mixed until it reaches a porridge-like consistency, then spooned into jars.
Last call for fresh horseradish at The Pickle Guys is 2 p.m. Friday, according to Soo. After that, only the dry form will be available.
