Radishes

About
Radishes are root vegetables with a distinctive flavor that range from the juicy crispness of the familiar red globe radish to the sharp bite of the turnip-shaped black radish. Like their relatives broccoli, cabbage, and kale, radishes are cruciferous vegetables that offer cancer-protecting potential. They were first cultivated thousands of years ago in China, then in Egypt and Greece (where the vegetable was so highly regarded that gold replicas were made of it). Since then, many varieties have been developed in a number of shapes, sizes, and colors.

Varieties
Growers classify radishes by shape- round, oval, oblong, and long are the most common. Markets frequently label them by color - red, white, and black ones are the most frequently available.

Black radishes: Turnip-like in size and shape (about 8" long), these have dull black or dark brown skin. When peeled, their flesh is white, quite pungent, and drier than other radishes. "Black Spanish" is the name for commercially grown black radishes, which are available in round and long varieties.

California Mammoth Whites: A larger variety than the white icicles, these radishes have oblong-shaped roots about 8" long; their flesh is slightly pungent.

Daikons: Native to Asia, these are very large carrot-shaped radishes (up to 18" long and weighing one to two pounds). Also called Japanese or oriental radishes, domestic daikons have a white flesh that is juicy and a bit hotter than that of red radishes but milder than that of black ones.

Red Globe: North-Americans are probably most familiar with these small round or oval-shaped "button" red radishes. They range from about 1" to 5" in diameter and have solid, crisp flesh.

White Icicles:Long (up to 6") and tapered, these have a white flesh that is milder than that of red radishes.

Availability
Red and white radishes are sold year-round; their supplies are most plentiful during the spring months.
Black radishes, which have a longer shelf life, are at their peak in winter and early spring.
Daikons are most flavorful in fall and winter.

Nutrition Information:
• For complete nutritional information, click here.

Additional Information
• Why Eat It - Selection - Storage - Preparation
• From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia