Daikon (white radish)

Raphanus sativus

vegetable · root

A long white radish from East Asia, mild and juicy, grated raw, simmered in broth or lacto-fermented in brine. It provides pungent glucosinolates.

Origin

East Asia

Season (United States)

October to March · grows in your region

Preparation

The greens are eaten, stir-fried or in soup; the peel too, in stir-fried strips, kinpira. The bite IS the molecule: long cooking erases it, raw and short cooking keep it. Most of its goitrogens go with cooking, even a short one.

Molecules

Pungent glucosinolatesWhat slows things down Goitrogens

Did you know?

Daikon means “big root” in Japanese; the big-rooted white radishes form one of the four main groups of cultivated radishes.