A Complete Guide to the Features of Miura Daikon! Explaining the Appeal of Its Taste, Shape, and Nutrition

Miura daikon is a winter daikon that has been grown on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Born in the Meiji era from the natural crossing of Koenbo daikon, a native variety of the Miura Peninsula, with Nerima daikon and others, it was named "Miura daikon" in 1925 (Taisho 14). The Miura Peninsula is blessed with a warm climate and well-draining soil, and it's long been known as a region where daikon cultivation flourishes. It was once widely on the market as a Miura specialty, but after suffering devastating damage from Typhoons No. 16 and No. 20 in 1979, a shift to aokubi daikon, which can be harvested in a short time, advanced.

Today it has declined to about 1% of daikon shipment volume, becoming a rare heirloom vegetable distributed mainly locally for New Year's use. The advance of the nuclear-family trend, which made large daikon out of step with the times, is one factor in the decline in production.

Features of Miura daikon's shape and appearance

Miura daikon is a type of "white-necked daikon," and a major feature is that the entire root is white.

The neck is thin and tight, and it thickens from the middle toward the bottom in a distinctive "middle-bulge" shape. This shape differs greatly from aokubi daikon, and you can tell them apart at a glance. The usual length is 50-60 cm and the weight about 3 kg, but large ones swell to 8 kg in weight and 70 cm in length. Compared with aokubi daikon, the weight is about five times as much, and the diameter of the thick part can reach 13 cm or more.

Difference from aokubi daikon

Aokubi daikon has a green neck and is overall slender with uniform thickness. Miura daikon, on the other hand, has a thin neck and a plump middle, giving it a distinctive silhouette. Also, aokubi daikon pulls out easily, but the middle-swelling Miura daikon does not pull out easily at harvest. This difficulty of harvesting is said to be one cause of the shift to aokubi daikon.

Points for choosing

To choose a delicious Miura daikon, pick one that's large, plump, and has a good sense of weight. Ones with taut, glossy skin are proof they hold plenty of moisture. If it has leaves, also check whether the leaves are crisp.

The appeal of Miura daikon's taste and texture

Miura daikon's greatest appeal lies in its soft, dense flesh.

While it has the quality of resisting falling apart, when eaten it finishes very soft. These contrasting qualities make Miura daikon ideal for simmered dishes. Used in oden or simmered dishes like buri-daikon, the flavor soaks in easily and it becomes soft enough to cut easily with chopsticks. Raw, you can enjoy a juicy, crisp texture, and it also suits sashimi garnish.

Differences in taste by part

Miura daikon is also characterized by letting you enjoy differences in taste and texture within a single root. Near the neck it's somewhat firm and tight, with a crisp bite. From there down to the tip it has a moist, soft texture, with the tip tending to be somewhat more pungent. It has the pungency distinctive to daikon, but Miura daikon's charm is that the sweetness increases when simmered.

Recommended cooking methods

With dense flesh that resists falling apart, it's ideal for simmered dishes like furofuki daikon and oden. It's also delicious raw, in namasu or as a garnish. The top is strongly sweet, so it's good for salad; the middle is well-balanced and suits a variety of dishes; the bottom is strongly pungent, so it suits grated daikon and pickles.

三浦大根の栄養と成分

Miura daikon contains abundant nutrients, like ordinary daikon.

It's rich in vitamin C and contains potassium, dietary fiber, digestive enzymes, and more. However, since vitamin C and some digestive enzymes are vulnerable to heat, eating it raw is recommended to use them efficiently.

Isothiocyanate

大根の辛味成分で、根の先端や皮に近いほど多く含まれています。すりおろす・切るなどして細胞が壊れることで生成される成分です。

Diastase (amylase)

A kind of digestive enzyme with the action of breaking down starch. It can be expected to aid digestion and settle the stomach and gut. Using grated daikon as a condiment for udon or soba, or eating it with mochi as "karami-mochi," is a good combination.

Potassium and folate

カリウムはミネラルの一種で、細胞の浸透圧の調節に関わります。葉酸はビタミンB群の仲間で、赤血球をつくるのに欠かせないビタミンです。

Miura daikon's season and how to obtain it

Miura daikon is in season in December.

A typical winter daikon, its seeds are sown around September, it's grown over about three months, and it's harvested from around December to February. It's shipped only on the three days at year-end for New Year's use, sold at farm stands within Miura City, supermarkets, the Miura City agricultural co-op's online shop, and the like. In 2024, it was scheduled to ship on December 23, 25, and 26. Through contract farming and direct sales, it's sold from December to early March.

Storage method

If it has leaves, cut them off, and cover the cut face with plastic wrap so moisture doesn't escape. If the tail is attached, don't cut it — wrap it in newspaper and store it in a cool, dark place. Store the leaves by pressing a water-moistened paper towel to the cut face, covering it with plastic wrap, putting it in a plastic bag, and standing it upright in the fridge.

Current production situation

Currently, even in the Miura area, only about 1% of total daikon shipment volume is Miura daikon. The seeds are sold by seed companies, and in other prefectures such as Saitama, individual farmers grow it and sell it at farm stands and the like. Given how good it tastes, it's a food we'd love to see used more and more by restaurants and the like.

Summary: rediscover the appeal of Miura daikon

Miura daikon is a heirloom vegetable that the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture is proud of.

Its distinctive white-necked, middle-bulge shape, its soft, dense flesh, its quality of resisting falling apart yet being soft when eaten, and its abundant nutrients are Miura daikon's appeal. Production has now declined and it's become a rare presence, but its taste and texture are something special you can't get from other daikon.

In December's peak season, be sure to get hold of a Miura daikon and savor its appeal in simmered dishes or raw. Since the taste and texture differ by the top, middle, and bottom parts within a single root, you can enjoy dishes suited to each part. Let's rediscover the value of heirloom vegetables and pass Japan's food culture on to the next generation.

Why not take on a dish using Miura daikon and experience its distinctive taste and texture?Be sure to bring a precious heirloom vegetable, available at local farm stands and online shops, to your family table.

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