One of the Japanese foodstuffs is a vegetable called ‘DAIKON’.
Outside of Japan, this vegetable is mainly called ‘Radish’, but Japanese-Radish is hard, large and bitter, so it is not often eaten abroad.
Nevertheless, DAIKON is an indispensable ingredient in Japanese cuisine…
Once upon a time
There was a slightly unusual samurai in the Land of Tsukushi. ※1 ↓
Day in, day out, this Samurai would eat only daikon radish from the village.
He can eat some other food as well, but first of all he eats radishes!
As long as you eat daikon, all illnesses will pass you by!
He ate two whole daikon radishes a day without fail, as if eating only daikon would blow away all bad luck.
One day, the house is attacked by a bandit who takes advantage of a moment of opportunity.
The samurai is surrounded by thieves, and his allies can’t reach him in time, leaving him in a desperate situation.
But then, out of nowhere, two mighty warriors appeared and repelled one enemy after another. The samurai were saved.
After the event had passed, the samurai thanked the two soldiers and asked their names.
They said, “We are the incarnation of DAIKON, which you worship and eat every day”, and disappeared again into thin air.
What a strange story…
A divine legend about radishes…
This story is included in the sixty-eighth paragraph of the “Tsurezuregusa” as 「The Story of the Radish」, and is said to have had a reasonable impact on the food culture of the time when it was widespread. ✻2 ↓
As mentioned at the beginning, DAIKON was historically one of the most important ingredients for the Japanese. It is often used as a boiled dish, but it is also sometimes used as it is baked or as an ingredient in salads.
The reason DAIKON has been prized for so long is that it can be dried and processed to become a preserved food. The pickled ‘daikon’ is called ‘takuan’ and is still used as a side dish in meals. (In recent years, the younger generation has become less and less interested in pickles…)
If you ever visit Japan, try DAIKON-OROSHI. DAIKON-OROSHI is a garnish used when eating tempura or grilled meat. It reduces oiliness and is good for the stomach and improves palatability, but it can be spicy and bitter if you are not used to it.
Try the Japanese bitter garnish…
✻1 One administrative state in Japan in old times. It was located in what is now northern Kyushu.
✻2 A collection of essays written circa1330 by the official and writer “Kanayoshi Urabe”.
✻ This article has been written using and modifying the「DeepL translator」.
