Carrots
Carrots may be stuck underground, but they’ve moved around the globe quickly in the past 1,000 years as people discover they taste good and are good for you.
They were long cultivated for their aromatic leaves and leaves – as long as 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, beginning in Persia – but their roots weren’t widely used.
Carrot seeds have been found in Switzerland and Southern Germany dating back to 2000–3000 BC. Some close relatives of the carrot are still grown for their leaves and seeds, such as parsley, cilantro, coriander, fennel, anise, dill and cumin. But the first mention of the root as an edible food is from the 1st century AD. Romans ate a root vegetable called pastinaca,[ which may have been either the carrot or the closely related parsnip.
According to Wikipedia, the plant was introduced into Spain by the Moors in the 8th century. In the 10th century, roots from West Asia, India and Europe were purple. The modern carrot originated in Afghanistan at about this time. The 11th-century Jewish scholar Simeon Seth describes both red and yellow carrots, as does the 12th-century Arab-Andalusian agriculturist, Ibn al-'Awwam. Cultivated carrots appeared in China in the 12th century and in Japan in the 16th or 17th century.
Carrots at the time were yellow, red, purple, white and even nearly black. But according to Vegetable Facts, the modern orange root appeared in Netherlands during 17th century as a tribute to the ruling House of Orange.
After years of selective breeding, Dutch yellow carrot was engineered to be without bitterness, increased sweetness and minimal wooden core. This carrot type is named ”Daucus carota” and quickly became popular across entire Europe.
In 1609, English settlers of the New World started cultivating carrots in Jamestown, Virginia. Twenty years later production began in Massachusetts.
But Americans didn’t fully embrace carrots as part of their cuisine after World War I, when soldiers returning home brought stories and seeds of incredible French and other European foods that helped them survive war years.
Modern popularity of carrots and their use in both savory and sweet meals can be traced to World War II England, where government actively encouraged home growing of carrots.
Plant breeders are continuing to work on improved carrot varieties, because the roots have gained worldwide popularity as a nutritious and tasty food.
The Western varieties commonly available now, according to Wikipedia, include:
Chantenay. Although the roots are shorter than other cultivars, they have vigorous foliage and greater girth, broad in the shoulders and tapering towards a blunt, rounded tip. They are mostly used for processing.
Danvers. These have strong foliage and the roots are longer than Chantenay types. They have a conical shape with a well-defined shoulder, tapering to a point. They are more tolerant of heavy soil conditions. They store well and are used both fresh and for processing. They were developed in 1871 in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Imperator. This cultivar has vigorous foliage, has high sugar content, and has long and slender roots, tapering to a pointed tip. They’re the most widely cultivated by commercial growers.
Nantes. These have sparse foliage, are cylindrical, short with a more blunt tip and provide high yields in a range of conditions. The skin is easily damaged and the core is deeply pigmented. They are brittle, high in sugar and store less well than other types.
Carrots can be eaten in a variety of ways. Only 3 percent of the carotene in raw carrots is released during digestion: this can be improved to 39 percent by pulping, cooking and adding cooking oil. Alternatively they may be chopped and boiled, fried or steamed, and cooked in soups and stews, as well as baby and pet foods.
Raw carrots are 88 percent water, 9 percent carbohydrates, 0.9 percent protein, 2.8 percent dietary fiber, 1 percent ash and 0.2 percent fat.
Since the late 1980s, baby carrots or mini-carrots (carrots that have been peeled and cut into uniform cylinders have been a popular ready-to-eat snack food available in many supermarkets. Carrots are puréed and used as baby food, dehydrated to make chips, flakes, and powder, and thinly sliced and deep-fried, like potato chips.[68]
While the "baby carrot" is extremely popular, it is not a separate breed but a way of processing regular full-sized carrots to increase utilization and decrease waste. Mike Yurosek and his son David promoted the baby carrot in the early 1980s in Bakersfield, California through their Bunny Luv produce company. Major carrot companies followed their lead, and the baby carrot is now one of the industry's top sellers.
