Radishes and… butter?

Many years ago I was reading a book set in France during the war, and a couple of characters had to flee the on-coming German forces but before they went they just had time for a drink and a dish of radishes with butter and salt. I love radishes, hot and peppery, dipped in salt… but butter? I was puzzled how you might eat them… melt the butter and dip the radish? Spread the butter on the radish, which is smooth and shiny so how would the butter stay on… or was there bread involved, butter the bread, slice the radishes, sprinkle with salt.. sounds a good idea, but in the story no bread was mentioned.

I bought a lovely bunch of radishes from the greengrocer’s yesterday and as usual, at the sight of the radish, my mind went back to the story I had read so long ago. When I got home I checked on-line, and yes, the butter is smeared on the radish. So I took a fine radish, some crushed sea salt and some lovely Irish butter, smear and dip and crunch, and… I don’t think I’ll repeat the experiment.

This sounds nice though:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/radishes-with-butter-and-salt-recipe2/index.html