Raphanus sativus

radish

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Raphanus sativus L. (Brassicaceae); radys (Afrikaans); luo bo (Chinese); radis (French); Rettich, Radieschen (German); rapani (Greek); ravanello (Italian); radeisshu (Japanese); mu (Korean); lobak (Malay); rabanete (Portuguese); rabanito (Spanish); hua phak kat khao (Thai); cu cai (Vietnamese)

DESCRIPTION The fleshy roots are highly variable in shape and colour and have a pungent, peppery taste.

THE PLANT A robust biennial that flowers in the second year. There are four basic types of culinary radishes: small-rooted, short-season European radishes (usually red or red and white) that grow best in temperate regions; large-rooted Asian winter radishes, variable in shape and colour (often very large and white), suitable for more tropical regions; black-rooted European radishes suitable for winter storage and finally, leaf radishes grown in Southeast Asia for their leaves.1,2

ORIGIN Europe and Asia.1 Domestication may have occurred independently in China but direct archaeological evidence is lacking. Early records date back between 5 000 years (Egypt) and 2 000 years (China).1 Radishes are grown in practically all parts of the world and are staple food items in China (where the maximum genetic diversity is found),1 Japan, Korea other Asian countries.

CULTIVATION Radishes are one of the easiest crops to grow and is a good choice for young children who want to start vegetable gardening. It is customary to sow seeds every two weeks to ensure a regular supply of fresh radishes throughout the summer. Use a sowing depth of 12 mm (½ in.) for small radishes and up to 40 mm (ca. 1½ in.) for the large daikon type.

HARVESTING Roots of short-season cultivars mature rapidly and are ready to harvest in three or four weeks.

CULINARY USES Radishes are mostly eaten fresh, as a snack, hors d’oeuvre or in green salads. They are appreciated for their crisp texture and sharp, peppery flavour. The roots are eaten whole or sliced, with or without the skin. Radishes have a very diverse application in Asian cooking.3 Large, oblong radishes, best known as daikon (their Japanese name) but called mooli in India, are especially popular. In additional to being eaten raw, they are also cooked, steamed or stir-fried. In China, radishes have many different culinary uses and are often pickled.3 Mashed radishes are mixed with flour to make a dough.3 Radish leaf (luo bo ye) is cooked with meat or fish.3 Sliced and pickled radishes are a common flavour ingredient of Japanese dishes, and they are often eaten with sushi and sashimi. Radish sprouts (germinated seeds mixed with spices) are popular in Japan (known as kaiware).

FLAVOUR COMPOUNDS The sharp taste of radishes is due to mustard oils (glucosinolates). The main flavour compound in daikon radishes has been identified as 4-methylthio-3-butenyl isothiocyanate (MTBITC). The main compound in seeds is raphanin, and therefore also likely to be one of the flavour ingredients of radish sprouts.

NOTES The name radish is derived from radix, the Latin word for root.

1. Crisp, P. 1995. Radish. In: Smartt, J., Simmonds, N.W. (Eds), Evolution of crop plants (2nd ed.), pp. 86–89. Longman, London.

2. Vaughan, J.G., Geissler, C.A. 1997. The New Oxford book of food plants. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

3. Hu, S.-Y. 2005. Food plants of China. The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong.

4. Coogan, R.C., Wills, R.B.H. 2008. Flavour changes in Asian white radish (Raphanus sativus) produced by different methods of drying and salting. International Journal of Food Properties 11: 253−257.

5. Ivãnovics, G., Horvãth, S. 1947. Raphanin, an antibacterial principle of the radish (Raphanus sativus). Nature 160: 297–298.