Chinese Radish; Luo Bo; Lobak, (M); Mullengi, (T); Loh-Pak-Choi, (C); Peh-Chai-Tau, (H). Raphanus sativus L. (Cruciferae)
A fast growing erect annual herb with a long white cylindrical root. The local variety is white, cylindrical, more than 20 cm long and quite large.
Origin
The exact origin is vague but it probably came from temperate parts of the Old World, cultivated long before the Greeks and Romans came to know of it as 'rhaphanis' and 'radix' respectively. Its use as a vegetable started long before recorded history.
Uses
The roots are eaten raw or cooked. In good varieties, the flesh is snow white. The leaves can be eaten as a vegetable. In western countries, they are used as a salad where peeling deprives them of most of the enzymes responsible for the production of mustard oil and therefore removes the hot taste. Radishes have no marked nutritive values but are highly relished for their pungent taste.
