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Daikon or Japanese radish can be increasingly found on supermarket shelves and in summer cottages. A white overseas vegetable that looks like a large carrot is becoming very popular in Europe due to its mild taste and healthy composition. In Asian countries, the daikon is included in the daily diet of every person and is grown as a staple food. There are different types of this crop, differing in ripening time and growing characteristics, which will be discussed in the article.
Features and history of the daikon
Since the vegetable has some similarities with the radish we are used to, many people ask themselves: “Is radish and daikon the same species?”. Based on biological features, we can say that the daikon is not a radish, but rather a radish, or rather its subspecies. Daikon, like radish, belongs to the Cabbage family, but unlike it, it has a milder taste and moderate aroma, since it practically does not contain mustard oil.
Daikon (Japanese or Chinese radish) is a root vegetable crop, which is a subspecies of the common radish. According to some reports, this radish was bred by Japanese breeders from an Asian varietal radish growing in China. “Daikon” in Japanese means “big root”, but other names of the culture can be found in the literature: “white radish”, “sweet radish”.
The root crops of this culture are really impressive in size. Some species grow to a length of 60 cm or more, and their weight ranges from 600 g to several kilograms. The most common and most common in Japan, Aokubi is similar in shape to a carrot, 25–35 cm long and 6–10 cm wide in diameter. But the type of “Sakurajima” is distinguished by giant root crops that look like a radish on the outside, but are bright pink inside. Now many types of daikon are grown in Europe: “Caesar”, “Dragon”, “Emperor”, “Japanese Long”, “Minowashi” and others.
As already mentioned, Japanese radish contains almost no mustard essential oils, due to which it is softer and tastier than ordinary radish. The root vegetable has illuminating, crunchy flesh, the taste of which changes from top to bottom: the radish is sweeter on top, and becomes sharper closer to the root. Some species with small root crops have a particularly mild and sweet taste.
Daikon can be used in a variety of ways. In his homeland, in Asian countries, salads are most often prepared from the product, as well as marinated, boiled, salted. Interestingly, not only the radish itself is suitable for food, but also the tops – young greens are also added to salads.
Radish of this variety is divided into types: winter and summer. Each species has a different growing season. Summer (early) radish ripens in 50-60 days, it is sown in spring, eaten fresh and is not intended for storage. Winter radishes have a longer growing season (up to 70 days). It is planted in the second half of summer, and harvested in late autumn. Such a radish has excellent commercial qualities and can be stored for several months.
Useful Properties
In oriental cuisine, daikon is an essential ingredient in most dishes. It is part of salads, soups, served as a side dish for fish, meat, seafood. In Japan, this radish is traditionally served with sashimi; in China and Korea, it is salted, pickled, harvested for future use and consumed all year round. Such popularity of the product is caused not only by its excellent taste, but also by its low calorie content – 21 kcal per 100 g.
Radishes of this variety are allowed to be used by people of all ages, moreover, with health problems, it can become a real panacea for the disease. Overseas radish has a rich vitamin and chemical composition. It contains a lot of vitamin C, A, E, B vitamins, as well as iron, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and sulfur. But the special value of the product is phytoncides and glycosides, which endow radish with high antiseptic properties.
With regular use, the Japanese radish has a beneficial and healing effect on the body:
- improves the filtering ability of the liver;
- promotes the removal of sand from the kidneys;
- restores heart rate during arrhythmias;
- soothes, improves sleep;
- improves the digestive tract;
- inhibits the growth of microbes and bacteria;
- relieves alcohol intoxication;
- with prolonged use removes toxins, neutralizes free radicals;
- root juice has a mild diuretic and laxative effect;
- crushed pulp is an effective remedy for acne, acne and other skin problems.
This type of radish is recommended for older people who, due to cardiac pathologies, cannot eat radish or horseradish. For them, Japanese radish is not just a useful product, but also a natural remedy.
Peculiarities of growing
In general, the daikon is unpretentious to growing conditions. But since the Far East is the birthplace of culture, some of its species, when cultivated in European latitudes, have their own characteristics. Like any kind of radish, the vegetable does not need a long daylight hours. Moreover, when the light is longer than 13 hours, the plants begin to produce arrows and flower stalks. To prevent this from happening, the seeds should be sown at a time when the daylight hours are still short: summer species – in early spring, winter – in the second half of summer.
The temperature regime is no less important for the daikon. Like a common radish, it tolerates cold well and forms roots better in cool (+15–20 °C) soil. However, unlike it, this type of radish does not need frequent watering and maintaining constant humidity. Plants should be watered as needed, but weeds should be removed, row spacing should be loosened regularly.
Overseas radish prefers light, preferably sandy, soil with a small amount of peat. The technology for planting a crop is quite simple: on a previously dug and fertilized site, furrows are made 2–4 cm deep, seeds are planted in 2 pieces at a distance of 20–30 cm. The distance between rows should be at least 50 cm, since root crops can have a very impressive the size.
Seedlings appear in 5-7 days. When the sprouts have two leaves, one sprout should be removed from the hole, leaving the strongest. During the germination period, it is necessary to ensure that the plants are not attacked by the cruciferous flea.
With proper care, the crop yield can reach 10 kg per 1 meter of area.
Video “About the benefits of daikon”
This excerpt from the program “Life is great!” will talk about the benefits of Japanese radish and introduce you to a recipe for a delicious and healthy salad.
