• The carrot is a root vegetable in the family Apiaciae, which includes parsnips, celery, parsley, fennel, and cilantro, as well as various spices such as cumin, dill, and cilantro seed or coriander. It is a heavily-bred subspecies of the wild carrot, which is often encountered as the wildflower, Queen Anne's Lace.

• History

  Until the Middle Ages, the carrot plant was bred for its aromatic foliage, and its early use as a root crop included purple, red, and yellow varieties now known only as heirloom vegetables. The familiar orange carrot appeared in Europe in the 1600s, and took over virtually all commercial-scale carrot production by the early-mid 20th Century.

• Culinary Use

  Carrots are eaten raw, often as snacks or in salads, but are more often cooked, especially as a low-key but ubiquitous ingredient in stocks such as mirepoix, and in soups and stews. They are often served separately as an accompaniment to meat, especially one-pot beef roasts, in which they are broiled or roasted, typically with potatoes and/or onions, in the meat's juices. Other traditional applications include peas and carrots, and glazed carrots, in which they are lightly candied. The inexpensiveness of carrots has also led to wide use as a generic vegetable ingredient in such diverse cuisines as American Chinese (i.e. 'takeout' or 'yellow-awning' Chinese), and American Italian (i.e. 'mid-American' or 'ketchup-and-noodle' Italian), in which they contribute a variety of hue to the celery, onions, and cabbage that otherwise span the diversity of the world's edible vegetables.

• Fast Facts

  1. The orange variety is rich in carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A
  2. High in Vitamin K
  3. Can be eaten cooked, raw or juiced
  4. Possible origin: Afghanistan
  5. The wild carrot, Daucus carota, is widely naturalized in Europe, Asia, and the New World
  6. Variations include orange, white, purple, and red

• Related Mahalo Pages

  How to Grow Carrots | How to Harvest and Store Carrots | How to Chop Vegetables | Peas | Ginger | Cake | Chicken Soup | Spinach | Chicken | Steak and Kidney Pie | Osteoporosis | Tzimmes | How to Cook Roast Beef | How to Freeze Carrots | How to Grow Ginger

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