2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
For a long time, carrots have been a necessary addition to the preparation of an incredible number of dishes. Now the most common type is orange. But few people know that initially the root crop was yellow, white, red and even black, but not orange.
Only in the 16th century did this vegetable acquire its usual orange color. And carrots have become so widespread due to their sweeter taste.
But other varieties of carrots are also important, because due to the variety of flavors and the content of many different vitamins in them, they can easily be used in various culinary recipes.
Why are carrots white
Everyone knows that vegetable pigments are responsible for the coloring of fruits and vegetables. In orange carrots, carotene, or provitamin A, is responsible for the color, the content of which gives the root not only a beautiful color, but also makes it incredibly useful.
The yellow color of the vegetable is due to lutein, and the purple, blue, red and black colors are obtained due to the content of anthocyanins in them. The rich red color comes from lycopene, while the burgundy carrotsreceives due to the presence of betaine in the root crop.
White carrots lack the pigment responsible for color. This is why carrots are white and not orange. But the trace elements contained in it, which have a beneficial effect on the human body, make it quite popular.
Functions
People who prefer a he althy type of diet know that in addition to coloring fruits, plant pigments perform other functions:
- Beneficial effect on the immune system.
- Strengthening the walls of blood vessels.
- Improve vision.
- UV protection.
- Fulfilling the role of antioxidants that can suppress various viruses.
Accordingly, the more varied and richer the color palette of vegetables on the table, the tastier and he althier the cooked food.
Varieties
Nowadays, there are a great many varieties of orange carrots, but earlier white carrots were more popular. Varieties when choosing should be distinguished by yield, disease resistance, shape and storage period. Also, the division takes place on the stern and dining room.
The most widespread fodder varieties are "Berlin Giant", "White Weibull", "Vosges White", "Giant White", "Championship", "White Greenhead". As a rule, the length of the root crop reaches 50 cm, it has a perfectly even cylindrical shape.
The best table varieties include White Satin F1, Lunar White, Belgian White. They have a very smoothtexture and juicy pulp.
Taste
The incredible number of varieties and species that white carrots have speaks of a great variety of flavors. But the main and main difference between them is the presence or absence of a bitter aftertaste.
Today, only forage varieties have it, so this species has been grown exclusively to add to the diet of cattle and small domestic animals.
Recently Latvia has revived the cultivation of white and yellow varieties of carrots, which have an incredibly sweet taste, which have earned them special popularity in cooking.
White carrot. Benefits
Many people know that white carrots are a he althy vegetable. This is due to the incredible amount of vitamins and minerals it contains.
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 cob alt. Therefore, it is considered very useful for the body to eat carrots in the diet, both raw and after heat treatment.
Healing properties
For many centuries, people have used the medicinal properties of white carrots. To preserve the healing qualities, carrots are often mixed with honey.
Freshly squeezed carrot juice is recommended for beriberi, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as for the normalization of carbohydrate metabolism.
Carrot juice is great for fighting excess cholesterol, and 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 liqueurs, but also in folk medicine in the treatment of kidney stones.
Essential oils are also extracted from the seeds, which are used in cosmetic products.
Harm
Despite the abundance of useful properties, carrots can cause some harm to he alth. The use of this product in food is contraindicated 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 the white one does not contain it, there are no obvious contraindications for this variety.
Purple Carrot
Great Britain many years ago became the birthplace of purple carrots. But it has not received such widespread use due to one significant drawback: in its purified form, carrots stain everything that it comes into contact with.
Although in some culinary preparations, this property can perfectly help to make the dish especially attractive by adding a delicate pink tint to the products.
Useful properties
The root crop owes its color to the presence of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and anthocyanin. In the body, they turn into the necessary vitamin A, which has a positive effect on the condition of the skin,improves vision and relieves visual apparatus fatigue.
Anthocyanin helps to cope with various heart diseases, and also strengthens the walls of blood vessels. The phytoncides contained in the vegetable can kill microbes, and therefore, purple carrots become an effective remedy for colds.
In cooking, purple carrots are a very unpretentious and versatile ingredient. It can be stewed, fried, baked, and it is also great for making fresh juices and even jams.
The most common variety is "dragon". This option applies to early ripening varieties. It has a conical shape and grows from 15 cm to 17 cm in length. This variety of purple carrots grows well in slightly acidic soils and loves fairly frequent watering. Considered to be extremely frost tolerant. Ideal for long term storage.
You can also choose varieties such as "Purple Elixir" with an orange core and "Cosmic", which are equally suitable for use in the children's menu due to their sweet taste.
If we compare the taste of the usual orange carrots with purple ones, then the second one has a sweeter taste. But you should know that in its raw form this variety has a slight smell of rosemary, which disappears completely after heat treatment.
Cooking Methods
By resorting to additional literature or using the advice of friends, you can easily find cooking methods and the bestcarrot recipes that will perfectly diversify the lunch menu.
For example:
- Juice. When juicing, all nutrients are fully preserved. Before squeezing, undamaged fruits should be selected, thoroughly washed and cleaned. It is not recommended to add sugar and s alt to the juice. And daily consumption of freshly squeezed juice half an hour before lunch helps to normalize digestion.
- Grilled vegetables. The method of cooking carrots in combination with other vegetables on the grill allows you to retain all the nutritional and healing properties, while the taste becomes more pronounced.
- Pure. Making carrot puree soups with the addition of some equally he althy vegetables is ideal even for very young children. And by resorting to fantasy and adding purple carrots to the usual orange carrots, you can get an original dish of amazing color that you will like not only in taste, but also in appearance.
- Bouillon. Cooking a broth with the addition of different varieties of carrots, whether white, orange or purple, will turn out to be incredibly attractive and low in calories. Despite the fact that at high temperatures the percentage of vitamins decreases, the part necessary for the body remains in the cooked dish, which makes the culinary masterpiece not only beautiful, but also useful.
- Drying. Carrots are great for drying ahead of time. Before harvesting, carrots must be thoroughly washed and peeled, then either cut or grated.grater. An electric dryer helps speed up the drying process, thanks to which the cooking time will be reduced several times, while all the vitamins contained in carrots will be preserved as much as possible.
- Dessert. The purple variety of carrots is so sweet that it can be used in various desserts. For many years, Europeans have preferred to make jam from carrots, which has an amazing taste.
- Table decoration. Even having mastered the carving technique a little, you can arrange a dining table and make it incredibly beautiful and unique. With the help of a thin knife, a vegetable dish can be turned into an exquisite culinary masterpiece, the appearance of which on the table will attract the attention of not only children, but also adults. The unique combination of white, orange and purple carrots, as well as the creation of compositions from them, will surprise every guest present, and cooked culinary recipes from carrots will not leave anyone indifferent.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Then an ordinary lunch will turn into a real meal.
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