Radish

Name: Radish (Raphanus sativus) — a crisp, peppery root vegetable, usually small and round, with red, pink, white or purple skin. A separate Root Vegetables page covers the same vegetable, and red radish, daikon and black radish have their own pages.

Description

Radishes were domesticated in Asia or the Mediterranean in prehistoric times, and were eaten in ancient Egypt, where they were given to labourers, and by the Greeks and Romans. They became a European garden staple in the Middle Ages, and are among the fastest-growing vegetables, ready to harvest in 3 to 4 weeks.

The peppery heat comes from the same compounds found in mustard and horseradish, and is strongest in the skin. Radishes are eaten raw in salads and with butter and salt, as in French radis au beurre, and also pickled, roasted and cooked.

Main nutrition value

Radishes are low in calories and provide vitamin C, folate, potassium and fibre, with glucosinolates that give them their bite.

How best to be consumed

Radishes are mostly eaten raw, crisp and cold.

1. Slice thinly into salads, sandwiches and tacos for crunch and colour.
2. Serve whole with butter and flaky salt, as in France.
3. Pickle quickly in vinegar, salt and sugar.
4. Roast halved radishes until soft and mild, when the peppery bite fades.
5. Remove the leaves before storing, and keep in the fridge in a bag with a damp towel.

Overconsumption could cause…

Radishes are safe in food amounts.

1. Bloating and gas, since cruciferous vegetables contain raffinose and other fermentable carbohydrates.
2. Possible effects on thyroid function in people with an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency if very large amounts are eaten raw, since brassicas contain goitrogens; normal cooked servings are fine.
3. Stomach irritation from large amounts of very pungent radish in some people.
4. Little else to worry about at normal servings.

GroupsCruciferous VegetablesRoot VegetablesCruciferous (cabbage family)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Related foodsDaikon / White RadishKohlrabiTurnipBlack RadishHorseradishRutabaga / Swede

Wikipedia — Radish, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radish