White carrots: varieties, taste, useful properties. Why is the carrot white, not orange? Purple Carrot

Since ancient times, carrots are a necessary supplement in the preparation of an incredible number of dishes. Now the most common type is orange. But very few people know that initially the root crop was yellow, white, red and even black, but not orange.

Only in the 16th century this vegetable acquired the usual orange color. And such a wide distribution of carrots is due to a more sweet taste.

But other varieties of carrots are also important, because due to the taste variety and the content of many different vitamins in them, they are easily used in various recipes.

Why carrots are white

Everyone knows that for the coloring of fruits and vegetables meet the plant pigments. In orange carrots, the color is answered by carotene, or provitamin A, the content of which gives root not only a beautiful color, but also makes it incredibly useful.

The yellow color of the vegetable is given by lutein, and the violet, blue, red and black colors are obtained due to the content of anthocyanin in them. A rich red color is obtained thanks to lycopene, and burgundy carrots are obtained due to the presence of betaine in the root crop.

White carrots are devoid of pigment responsible for color. That's why the carrots are white, not orange. But the microelements contained in it, which favorably affect the human body, make it quite popular.

Functions

People who prefer a healthy type of food know that in addition to coloring the fruits, plant pigments perform other functions:

• Beneficial effect on the immune system.
• Strengthening of the walls of blood vessels.
• Improve vision.
• Protection from ultraviolet light.
• Performing the role of antioxidants, capable of suppressing various viruses.

Accordingly, the more diverse and richer the color palette of vegetables on the table, the more delicious and useful the cooked food.

Varieties

In our time, there are a lot of varieties of orange carrots, but earlier popular carrots were white. Varieties in the selection should be distinguished by yield, resistance to disease, form and storage period. Also the division takes place on the stern and dining room.

The most widespread fodder varieties are the "Berlin Giant", "White Weibul", "Vogesian White", "Giant White", "Championship", "White Greenhead". As a rule, the length of the root crop reaches 50 cm, has a cylindrical perfectly flat shape.

The best dining varieties include "White Satin F1", "Lunar White", "Belgian White". They have a very smooth texture and juicy pulp.

Taste

The incredible number of varieties and species that white carrots possesses also speaks of a great taste variety. But the main and main difference between them is the presence or absence of a bitter aftertaste.

To date, they have only fodder varieties, so this species was grown exclusively to add to the diet of cattle and small domestic animals.

Recently, in Latvia, the cultivation of white and yellow varieties of carrots, which differ incredibly sweet taste, has been revived, which has earned special popularity in cooking.

White carrots. Beneficial features

Many people know that white carrots are a useful vegetable. This is due to the content in it of an incredible amount of vitamins and trace elements.

White carrots, like other varieties, boast the presence of vitamins C, K, B1, B2, B6, PP and E, as well as the content of iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, copper and cobalt. Therefore, it is considered very useful for the body to use carrots in the diet, both in raw form and after heat treatment.

Healing properties

For many centuries people have been using the medicinal properties of white carrots. To preserve medicinal qualities carrots are often mixed with honey.

Freshly squeezed carrot juice is recommended for vitamin deficiencies, gastrointestinal disorders, and for the normalization of carbohydrate metabolism.

Carrot juice perfectly fights with excess cholesterol, and a carrot broth is often used as a diuretic.

Seeds and roots are also widely used not only in cooking as an additional ingredient in canned food, marinades, liqueurs and liquors, but also in folk medicine in the treatment of nephrolithiasis.

Also from the seeds are extracted essential oils, which are used in cosmetology.

Harm

Despite the abundance of useful properties, carrots can cause some harm to health. Contraindicated in the use of this product in food if its use causes allergic reactions.

Overeating can also harm the body. It is characterized by an excess of carotene, but this option is possible only with the use of orange carrots. And since white does not contain it, there are no obvious contraindications to such a variety.

Purple Carrot

Great Britain many years ago became the birthplace of purple carrots. But it was not widely used because of one significant drawback: in the cleaned form, carrots color everything that comes into contact.

Although in some culinary preparations this property can perfectly help to make the dish especially attractive, adding products with a gentle pink tint.

Beneficial features

Root crop is due to the presence of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and anthocyanin. In the body, they turn into a necessary vitamin A, which positively affects the skin condition, helps improve eyesight and relieve fatigue visual apparatus.

Anthocyanin helps to cope with various heart diseases, and also strengthens the walls of blood vessels. Contained in the vegetable phytoncides are able to kill germs, and therefore, purple carrots become an effective remedy for colds.

In cooking, purple carrots serve as a very unpretentious and versatile ingredient. It can be stewed, fried, baked, and also it is great for preparing freshly squeezed juices and even jam.

The most common variety is the "dragon". This option applies to early ripening varieties. Has a conical shape and grows from 15 cm to 17 cm in length. This sort of purple carrot grows well on weakly acidic soils and likes quite frequent watering. It is considered extremely resistant to frost. Ideal for long-term storage.

You can also choose to choose varieties such as "purple elixir" with an orange core and "cosmic", which equally thanks to the sweet taste are suitable for use in the children's menu.

If you compare the taste of all the usual orange carrots with purple, then the second has a more sweet taste. But you should know that in its raw form this variety has a faint smell of rosemary, which after the heat treatment disappears completely.

Ways to prepare

By resorting to additional literature or taking advantage of the advice of friends, you can easily find ways to prepare and the best recipes from carrots, which can perfectly vary the lunch menu.

For example:

1. Juice. When preparing the juice, all the nutrients are completely preserved. Before squeezing it is necessary to select intact fruits, thoroughly wash them and clean them. It is not recommended to add sugar and salt to the juice. And daily use of freshly squeezed juice for half an hour before dinner helps normalize digestion.
2. Grilled vegetables. The way to prepare carrots in combination with other vegetables on the grill allows you to keep all the nutritional and healing properties, while the taste becomes more pronounced.
3. Puree. Preparation of soups-puree from carrots with the addition of some equally useful vegetables is ideal for even very young children. And having resorted to fantasy and adding to the usual orange carrots also purple, you can get an original dish of amazing color, which will appeal not only to taste, but also in appearance.
4. Bouillon. Preparation of broth with the addition of different varieties of carrots, whether white, orange or purple, will turn out to be incredibly attractive and low-calorie. Despite the fact that at a high temperature the percentage of vitamins decreases, the part necessary for the body in the cooked dish remains, which makes the culinary masterpiece not only beautiful, but also useful.
5. Drying. Carrots are great for drying for future use. Before harvesting carrots must be thoroughly washed and cleaned, then either cut or grate. Accelerating the drying process helps the electric dryer, due to which the cooking time will be reduced several times, while all the vitamins contained in carrots will be kept as much as possible.
6. Dessert. The purple variety of carrots is so sweet that it can be used to prepare various desserts. Europeans for many years prefer to cook a carrot jam, which has an amazing taste.
7. Table decoration. Even after a little mastering the technique of carving, you can decorate the dining table and make it incredibly beautiful and unique. Having resorted to the help of a thin knife, the vegetable dish can be turned into an exquisite culinary masterpiece, the appearance on the table of which will attract the attention not only of children, but also of adults. A unique combination of white, orange and purple carrots, as well as making songs from them, can surprise every guest present, and cooked recipes from carrots will not leave anyone indifferent.

Do not be afraid to experiment. Then the usual dinner turns into a real meal.