Radish
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 Red radish
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| Raphanus sativus L. |
The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that is domesticated and consumed throughout the world.
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[edit] History
Although the radish is a well-established crop in Hellenistic and Roman times, which leads to the assumption that it was brought into cultivation at an earlier time, Zohary and Hopf note that "there are almost no archeological records available" to help determine its earlier history and domestication. Wild forms of the radish and its relatives the mustards and turnip can be found over west Asia and Europe, suggesting that their domestication took place somewhere in that area. However Zohary and Hopf conclude, "Suggestions as to the origins of these plants are necessarily based on linguistic considerations."[1]
[edit] Cultivation
Radishes are a popular choice for personal cultivation, as they are fairly easy to grow. It is a rapidly-maturing crop, with many varieties able to reach maturity within 30 days.
Radishes grow best in full sun and moist, fertile, acidic to neutral soil. They are in season April, May, June, July, August, September, and part of October. Seeds will germinate if planted at a depth of 1 cm.
[edit] Varieties
Broadly speaking, radishes can be categorized into four main types (summer, fall, winter, and spring) and a variety of shapes, colours, and sizes, such as black or multi-coloured radishes, with round or elongated roots that can grow longer than a parsnip.
Summer varieties include "Rainbow Mix", a red, white and purple radish; "Cherry Bell", which is cherry shaped; "Flamboyant Sabina", which is cylindrical; "April cross", growing as long as 30 cm or more; "French Breakfast", one of the most popular; and "Easter Egg", a white variety.
Winter varieties include "Black Spanish Round", which is large with black skin and white flesh, shaped like a globe; "Mino Early", growing to 30cm (12 inches) long, and good in a salad; and "Minawasa Summer", a variety from Japan.
The East Asian giant white radish is mild-flavored and is called "Chinese radish" or "daikon". The most common variety is carrot-shaped, 8 to 14 inches (20 to 35 cm) long, and 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) in diameter.
An unusual variety is "München Bier". This radish is not grown for its root, but rather for its edible seed pods, which have a spicy flavour. This variety can grow up to 60cm tall.
[edit] Nutritional value
| Radish, raw, root only Nutritional value per 100 g |
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| Energy 20 kcal 70 kJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database |
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Relative to their serving size, radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. Relative to their caloric value, they are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium. One cup of sliced red radish bulbs provides approximately 20 Calories or less, coming largely from carbohydrates, making radishes, relative to their size, a very filling food for their caloric value.
[edit] Uses
[edit] In cooking
The most popular part for eating is the napiform taproot, although the entire plant is edible and the tops can be used as a leaf vegetable. The skin comes in a variety of colors. Most commonly known is the round, red-skinned variety but other varieties may have a pink, white or gray-black skin, and there is a yellow-skinned variety.
The bulb of the radish is usually eaten raw, but tougher specimens can be steamed. The raw flesh has a crisp texture and a pungent, peppery flavor, caused by chewing glucosinolates and the enzyme myrosinase in the radish, that, when brought together form allyl isothiocyanates , also present in mustard, horseradish and wasabi.
[edit] In medicine
Radishes are suggested as an alternative treatment for a variety of ailments including whooping cough, cancer,coughs, gastric discomfort, liver problems, constipation, dyspepsia, gallbladder problems, arthritis, gallstones, kidney stones[2] and intestinal parasites.[3]
[edit] In industry
The seeds of the Raphanus sativus species can be pressed to extract seed oil. Wild radish seeds contain up to 48% oil content, and while not suitable for human consumption the oil has promise as a source of biofuel.[4] The oilseed radish grows well in cool climates.[5]
[edit] Radishes in popular culture
- Radishes were the staple food of the three main races of the Fraggle Rock universe - the Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs.
- In 2005 in Japan, a giant radish grew through some pavement. Named Dokonjo Daikon, the vegetable was taken to heart by the public, and toy shops began stocking a cuddly giant radish to celebrate the event.[6]
- Fictional character Jessica Fletcher, protagonist of detective show Murder, She Wrote, was revealed in an episode of the show to be severely allergic to radishes.
- Rapunzel the children's fairy tale character may have been named so because Rapunzel was another variation on the name Radish and while pregnant with her, Rapunzel's mother had had cravings for the vegetable.
- Luna Lovegood, a character from the Harry Potter series, wears radish earrings.
- In The Simpsons episode The Wife Aquatic local bully Jimbo Jones wonders what a radish is saying "It's like an apple did it with an onion," referring to procreative copulation and hybridization.
- An early Homestar Runner cartoon, called "The Reddest Radish" features Strong Bad stealing Marzipan's prize radish.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, Domestication of plants in the Old World, third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), p. 139
- ^ Healing foods page for radishes
- ^ Plants for the Future page on radishes
- ^ Plant Oils as Fuel: Radish oil.
- ^ Oilseed radish.
- ^ Giant radish grows through pavement in Japan [Japanese wikipedia article]
