Comments on Japan Farmers Markets: Japanese Winter Root Crops, A Primer

Hi Leslie, I would say yes, they are kabu. I'v...

2014-02-25T02:50:10.254-05:00

Hi Leslie, I would say yes, they are kabu. I've met some rather large ones myself, also in Kyoto, and was also surprised to learn they were kabu. This weekend I met a lovely one called koshin, which is like the beauty heart daikon: green outer skin and pink starburst flesh that had a bit of a kick. I think it would make a stunning pickle.

Hi Joan, the Mairube / Mairübchen is also very ten...

2014-02-18T07:16:49.092-05:00

Hi Joan, the Mairube / Mairübchen is also very tender and quite sweet and juicy. I eat it raw, with its leaves, in a salad. I do peel it but the skin is soft enough that you could eat it if you really wanted to.

Here are some large turnips I photographed in Kyoto last year around the New Year; they were almost as big as my head! Do you think these are also kabu?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesliekuo/8540823528/in/set-72157632948019693

The beer radish is served in raw, salted slices as a bar snack in Bavarian beer halls. This is called "Raditeller" (radish plate). However, I prefer to eat it cooked or pickled in Japanese or Korean recipes. Unfortunately, the German radishes are usually sold with the greens removed, so I have not been able to make daikon-green rice with them.

Leslie, it does look the same. What is the inside ...

2014-02-12T22:57:41.800-05:00

Leslie, it does look the same. What is the inside like? The kabu is soft and tender, not woody or fibrous at all. It cuts very easily. The Wikipedia entry says it should be peeled before being eaten, which is not the case here. That may just be a custom, though. (Japanese people, for example, peel grapes. I eat them whole.)

A quick comparison of their Latin names makes it look as though they are very, very close cousins. How exciting! Daikon and the Beer Radish you mentioned above appear to have the same relationship. Now, I want to come to Germany to try them...

The kabu sounds and looks very similar to the Germ...

2014-02-12T08:03:33.261-05:00

The kabu sounds and looks very similar to the German vegetable Mairübchen (little May turnip). Here is a photo:
http://w.mattulat.net/?p=1723

However, since I haven't tried kabu, I'm not sure. Do you think it could be the same vegetable? The Bierrettich (beer radish) aka Weißer Rettich (white radish) here in Germany is also pretty much the same as the Daikon I've seen and eaten in Japan; at least, I haven't been able to figure out a difference yet and I use the German radish to make kimchi and Japanese dishes.