Carrot

Name: Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) — a crisp, sweet, tapered root, most often orange, but also found in purple, yellow, white and red. Baby carrots and purple carrots have their own pages.

Description

Carrots were first domesticated in Persia and Afghanistan around 1,000 years ago, and the original carrots were purple and yellow, not orange. Orange carrots are generally said to have been developed in the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the Dutch variety became the dominant type worldwide. China is the largest producer today.

Carrots get their orange colour from beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A. Their flavour is sweet and earthy, and sweetness increases when they are cooked or stored in the cold. Both the root and the leafy tops can be eaten.

Main nutrition value

Carrots are one of the best sources of beta-carotene, and also provide vitamin K, potassium, fibre and vitamin B6, and are low in calories.

How best to be consumed

Carrots are eaten raw and cooked, and cooking with a little fat boosts carotene absorption.

1. Grate raw into salads and slaws, or eat as sticks with dips.
2. Roast, steam, glaze or boil, and serve with butter, honey or herbs.
3. Cook into soups, stews, curries, stir-fries and carrot cake.
4. Cook with a little oil or fat, which helps the body absorb the carotenoids.
5. Store in the fridge without the green tops, in a damp towel or bag.

Overconsumption could cause…

Carrots are safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Carotenemia, a harmless yellow-orange tint of the skin, from eating very large amounts over time.
2. Choking in young children from whole raw carrots, which should be cut up or cooked.
3. Allergic reactions in people with birch pollen allergy (oral allergy syndrome), especially to raw carrot.
4. Added sugar and fat in glazed carrots and carrot cake.

GroupsRoot VegetablesCarrot and parsley family (Apiaceae)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Made intoCarrot Juice

Related foodsCeleriac / Celery RootBaby CarrotParsnipPurple CarrotBeetrootGolden Beet

Wikipedia — Carrot, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot