RADISHES

“The man pulling radishes pointed my way with a radish.”

THAT 18TH-CENTURY HAIKU is by one of my favorite Japanese poets, Issa. Everyone who loves to eat appreciates the beauty and bounty of radishes, but it’s not always clear how to make the most of them. I think of remarkable restaurant settings where radishes are the star: part of a bouquet of vegetables right on the table at La Colombe d’Or in sun-drenched Provence; their beauty celebrated by Alice Waters at Chez Panisse as a simple welcome; their purity by Fergus Henderson at St. John in London—red radishes on a small white plate with a block of the best butter and flaky sea salt. I love to call radishes by their names, like superheroes: the long red and white-tipped French Breakfast, the pure white Icicle radish, the red-hearted watermelon radish (here), the purple plums, the red globes, the black radish, the green Korean moo radish, and the massive heft of the daikon (here).

Eating radishes whole is its own pleasure, but it may be a discovery that the roots, leaves, sprouts, and seedpods are all edible, too. Three ways to use them raw: Shaved, especially the long ones, then put in ice water to curl beautifully; grated, as a topping for fish or other vegetables; and sliced, cutting them into superfine matchsticks with red tips. Yet radishes are wonderful braised, roasted, fermented, salted, and even fried. Pairing radishes with such sweet things as honey, fruit (like peaches), and juices (like apple cider) mellows their sharpness.