Radish is a herbaceous plant that produces small edible roots, red on the outside and white on the inside. The pulp has a slightly spicy flavour. It can have an elongated shape (in this variety we find radishes entirely white, both the pulp and the rind) or round, in this case it is entirely red in color and with a white apical portion.
It is a typically summer vegetable. The crunchy pulp and strong taste make it one of the protagonists of the pinzimonio, in which it is eaten raw and whole, dipped in a mix of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Also, it can be cut into slices and added to mixed salads, giving them grit with its spicy flavour.
Sometimes it is used as an ingredient to flavour soups, meat and fish dishes, for which it is better to choose the smaller, less fibrous radishes. Radishes can be found in other periods since they are grown in greenhouses, however the spring ones are to be preferred because they are grown in the open fieldsof national production (especially Emilia Romagna, Lombardy and Campania).
On the market radishes are sold in bunches with their leaves, it is important to check that they are not withered; they can be kept in the fridge for up to 7 days.