It's Crunch Time! All About Radishes

+ recipe for Lemony Edamame Hummus Wrap (with radishes, of course)

It’s Crunch Time! All About Radishes

I only recently started loving radishes. I am not sure what flipped the switch for me, but after a lifetime of ambivalence about them now I fully crave them and look forward to their appearance every spring at my local farmer’s market. If you are already into radishes, I think you’ll find some inspiration here, with new ideas for how and why to enjoy them. If you are not yet sold on this crunchy vegetable, reading on might be just the thing to change your mind.

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How Radishes Got their Name

This is the remarkable story about how radishes got their name: when a group of botanists first discovered them, one took a bite and excitedly exclaimed “That’s rad!” The team agreed with the sentiment and proposed naming the vegetable rad, but their supervisor asked them to tone it down a bit, so they ultimately landed on rad-ish.

Just kidding---I couldn’t resist sharing one of my favorite food jokes. I promise everything from here on is true. Radishes actually get there name from “radix” the Latin word for root. Their genus name, Raphanus, is derived from a Greek expression which means “easily reared,” as they grow quickly and are fairly pest resistant---a perfect choice for beginner gardeners.

Nutritional Benefits

Radishes are in the brassica family, like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips, and others, also known as cruciferous vegetables. Like their cousins, radishes brim with health-protective, anti-cancer compounds, most notably glucosinolates, the sulfur-containing compounds that give this group of vegetables their pungent aroma and peppery taste. Radishes also have a good amount of vitamin C and fiber.  

Common Types of Radishes

There are hundreds of varieties of radishes, but only a handful are typically found in markets in the US. These are some of the most common:

• Red/Table Radishes

  This radish variety is probably the first that comes to mind when you think of the vegetable. They are small to medium-sized, round radishes that are red on the outside, white on the inside, crisp, crunchy and a bit sharp tasting. There are several varieties of radishes that are sold simply as red or table radishes, including Red Globe and Cherry Belle.

• Easter Egg

  These radishes are similar to red/table radishes, but are sold in rainbow-colored bunches of pink, purple, white and red. Easter Egg is not a botanical name, but a marketing term for this colorful mix of radish varieties which typically includes Cherry Belle, Pink Beauty, White Beauty, and Purple Plum radishes.

• French Breakfast

  These are small to medium-sized, oblong, two-toned radishes that are pink or red with a burst of white at the tip, and white inside. They are crisp and a bit peppery, but milder tasting than most red/table radishes.

• Watermelon

  I consider this variety a gateway radish, a good one to start with if you are just getting into the vegetable. It’s medium-sized with a white to light green “rind” and deep red color inside. While the exterior can be somewhat bitter, the inside is quite mellow tasting and has a gentle sweetness, so when peeled, they are easy to love. Slices of them are gorgeous on a raw vegetable plate, on avocado toast or in a sandwich like the one below.

• Daikon

  Daikon translates to “great root” in Japanese, and there are many varieties of this type of radish used in cuisines throughout Asia. Those most commonly found in the US look like giant white carrots. They are crisp, and mild flavored with a light pepperiness to them. Because they are water-rich they are almost juicy when raw, but they become very mild and their texture is more like a potato when they are cooked. (More on cooking radishes below.)

How to Eat Them