Name: Radish leaves — the green tops of radishes (Raphanus sativus), which are edible, slightly fuzzy, with a peppery, mild mustard flavour. They are often cut off and thrown away.
Description
Radish tops are a traditional food in many cuisines, but are rarely sold separately, since they spoil faster than the root. In Indian cooking, the leaves of mooli (daikon) are cooked into mooli ka saag and added to flatbreads, and in France and Italy, radish-leaf soup is a classic frugal dish.
The leaves are slightly hairy when raw, but soften when cooked or blended, and the peppery taste mellows. They are best when young, fresh and bright green, from radishes sold with fresh, unwilted tops.
Main nutrition value
Radish leaves provide vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, folate and fibre, and often contain more of several nutrients than the radish root itself.
How best to be consumed
Radish leaves are best used quickly after buying, and cooked or blended.
- Sauté with garlic and olive oil as a quick side dish.
- Blend into pesto, soups or green sauces, which softens the fuzzy texture.
- Add young leaves to salads in small amounts for a peppery bite.
- Cook into Indian-style saag or add to flatbread dough.
- Separate them from the roots and keep in the fridge, to use within a couple of days.
Overconsumption could cause…
Radish leaves are safe in food amounts.
- Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
- 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.
- Foodborne illness from poorly washed leaves, so rinse well, especially bagged and ready-to-eat salad.
- Stomach irritation from large amounts of peppery leaves in sensitive people.
Wikipedia — Radish, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radish
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