Just-picked radishes are showing up at farmers markets and produce stands, as well as at the supermarket. They can add a distinctive snappy flavor to cooked dishes, from soups to sauces and entrees, as well as tempting new salads. My plan is to give you enough ideas so you can add radishes to every shopping list. Radishes, with peas and turnips, are among the oldest cultivated crops. China gets credit for being the country of origin, and marinated radishes are considered a staple there.
History says the Egyptian pharaohs claimed the radish a divine food and an aphrodisiac.
The American colonists cultivated radishes in the early 1600s. Their flavor can be sweet, mild or hot. Nutritionally, radishes are a pretty good source of vitamin C, and they have very few calories. At the store, look for crisp, firm radishes with fresh green tops attached. I would rather do without radishes than buy the pre-packed ones that have their tops removed, because I've often been disappointed at the quality.