Daikon (Japanese radish) - Japanese radish

Japanese: ダイコン(大根) - ダイコン

Also known as Oone or Suzushiro. A one- to two-year-old vegetable of the Brassicaceae family. It is said to have originated in Central Asia, but there is no consensus yet. The roots are large, succulent, and white, but there are also red and purple ones. The leaves grow in bunches and are pinnately compound. In spring, the stems grow to about 1m in length and produce white to pale purple flowers with four petals in clusters. It has been cultivated in Japan for a long time, and many varieties with different shapes and ecology have been developed and are available all year round. Representative varieties include Nerima, Moriguchi, Miyaju, Shigatsu, Shunpuku, Sakurajima, Minowase, Shogoin, Yojika, and Shiraagari. Other varieties include the Japanese radish, which was introduced from Europe and the United States. The roots contain a lot of diastase and vitamin C, and are used in grated dishes, pickled dishes, simmered dishes, kiriboshi dishes, and pickled radishes. The leaves are rich in vitamin A. The main production areas are Hokkaido, Chiba, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, etc. The sprouts of the radish plant are called kaiware (or kaiware daikon) and in recent years have been mass-produced for eating raw.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

オオネ，スズシロとも。アブラナ科の一〜二年生野菜。中央アジア原産といわれるがまだ定説はない。根は多汁，多肉で大きく白色のものが多いが，紅，紫などのものもある。葉は束生し羽状複葉。春1m内外の茎を出し白〜淡紫色の４弁花を総状につける。日本では古くから栽培され，姿形や生態の異なる多くの品種が発達，周年供給されている。代表的品種は練馬，守口，宮重，四月，春福，桜島，みの早生(わせ)，聖護院，四十日，白上りなど。ほかに欧米から導入されたハツカダイコンなどがある。根はジアスターゼ，ビタミンCを多く含み，おろし，なます，煮物，切干，たくあんなどに重用される。葉にはビタミンAが多い。主産地は北海道，千葉，宮崎，鹿児島など。ダイコンの芽生えはカイワレ（カイワレダイコンとも）と称され，近年，生食用に量産されている。

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