Radi (Bierrettich)

Radi is Munich summer food, a beer-garden plate set down with a Breze, butter, and a cold Helles. It looks like almost nothing: one long white radish cut into a spiral, salted, left to weep, then pulled open so it curls across the board. That is the dish. Don't improve it into a salad.

In Bavaria, especially around Munich and Upper Bavaria, the white Bierrettich is cut long and thin, salted hard, and eaten as Brotzeit, the bread-time meal between proper meals. Franconia will give you radish too, but often in cleaner slices beside beer and bread. Further north, the radish family moves toward black winter radish, pickles, or horseradish with fish and cold meat. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders.

The technique is the salt. Cut the radish thin enough to bend, then salt it and wait ten to fifteen minutes. The salt pulls water out of the cells, takes the raw sting down, seasons the flesh all the way through, and makes the spiral relax instead of snapping. Salt it too late and you chew a harsh root. Salt it too early and leave it sitting for an hour, and you've got a wet rag. Das braucht seine Zeit, but not much of it.

Use the leaves if they're fresh. Chop the small tender ones into Quark, the fresh cheese spread, or lay them under the radish on the board. Weggeworfen wird nichts. Serve the Radi with Breze, butter, and beer, never without salt.