The radish is the crisp, peppery swollen root of a fast-growing member of the cabbage and mustard family, eaten raw for its juicy crunch and clean, sinus-tingling bite. The same family of mustard-oil compounds that arms horseradish, wasabi and mustard gives the radish its sharpness, but in a milder, watery, refreshing form that mellows almost completely when cooked. It ranges from the little scarlet salad globe to the great white Asian daikon that anchors East Asian cooking.