Radish, Plum Purple

Radishes originated in China, and in China, today, truly wild forms of the radish can still be found. The name, radish, comes from the Latin word, radix, which means “root” and specifically radish root. The genus name, Raphanus, is a Latinized form of a Greek expression raphanos which means “easily reared”. In prehistoric times, the radish spread to Middle Asia where many different forms were developed and soon after, the radish spread to the Mediterranean. Before the pyramids were constructed, ancient Egyptian writing show that radishes were being cultivated, and the ancient Greeks so valued the radish that they offered up little gold radishes to the god Apollo. The Romans also were familiar with various forms of the radish. In the middle ages, in both Europe and the Orient, a fascination with giant radishes was created. Giant radishes were described in Germany in the 13th century and a German botanist reported seeing radishes weighing 100 pounds in 1544. Small radishes were not recorded in Europe and Britain until after the middle of the 16th century, but by 1586, small radishes were common in throughout Europe and Great Britain. The radish was one of the first vegetables introduced into the New World. Radishes were already under cultivation in Mexico in 1500 and in Haiti in 1565. The radish quickly caught on in the Americas. Radishes are used in very different ways around the world. In China and Japan, most of the radish crop is pickled in brine, similar to the way we pickle cucumbers. In China some large radishes are grown for the oil in the seeds. In India, the rat-tailed radish is grown for its fleshy edible seed pods which reach a length of 8-12 inches, and in Egypt, one type of radish is grown for its top greens only.