French Breakfast Radishes

My first introduction to this beautiful little radish was in Paris in 1988.  I just recently rediscovered them here in Arizona at the Mesa Community Farmers Market .  I was very surprised to see them and surprised that they weren’t as sweet as the ones I remembered from France.  I remember them being slightly sweet not realizing that they were sweeter because I was having them later in the year.  They had been harvested after a frost which brings out the sweetness in this little beauty.  The French Breakfast is normally available year round especially in milder climates.  Radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. They are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium.

The French Breakfast radish are also called Flambo radishes and are a French heirloom radish dating back to the 1800’s.  Radishes are root vegetable related to the horseradish and turnip family.  Oddly enough the French call them simply breakfast radishes (les radis petit dejeuner).    Elongated (2-3 inches in length) and red with a distinctive white tip and root, they are a lot milder than the red Cherry Belle radish that most people are accustomed to seeing in the grocery store.  Even people who don’t normally like the harsher flavor of the Cherry Belle radishes would like the mild tang to slightly sweet flavor of these.  They are perfect eaten raw by themselves and in salads.  I have eaten them both poached in butter and sautéed lightly in butter.  I love their mild flavor though with an egg over easy and a piece of toast.   This might be an odd thing to a many but most North Americans aren’t used to eating vegetables with their breakfast.  Try it - you might like it!