Beetroot

Beetroot
Beetroots on the stem
Species	Beta vulgaris
Subspecies
Cultivar group	Conditiva Group
Origin	Sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima)
Cultivar group members	Many; see text.

The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant,^[1] usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet.

It is one of several cultivated varieties of Beta vulgaris grown for their edible taproots and leaves (called beet greens); they have been classified as B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris Conditiva Group.^[2]

Other cultivars of the same species include the sugar beet, the leaf vegetable known as chard or spinach beet, and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop. Three subspecies are typically recognized.

Etymology[]

Beta is the ancient Latin name for beets,^[3] possibly of Celtic origin, becoming bete in Old English.^[4] Root derives from the late Old English rōt, itself from Old Norse rót.^[5]

History[]

The domestication of beets can be traced to the emergence of an allele which enables biennial harvesting of leaves and taproot.^[6] Beets were domesticated in the ancient Middle East, primarily for their greens, and were grown by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. By the Roman era, it is thought that they were cultivated for their roots as well. From the Middle Ages, beetroot was used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood. Bartolomeo Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of "garlic-breath".^[7]

During the middle of the 19th century, wine often was coloured with beetroot juice.^[8]

Food shortages in Europe following World War I caused great hardships, including cases of mangelwurzel disease, as relief workers called it. It was symptomatic of eating only beets.^[9]

Food[]

Usually the deep purple roots of beets are eaten boiled, roasted, or raw, and either alone or combined with any salad vegetable. The green, leafy portion of the beet is also edible. The young leaves can be added raw to salads, whilst the mature leaves are most commonly served boiled or steamed, in which case they have a taste and texture similar to spinach. Beetroot can be roasted, boiled or steamed, peeled, and then eaten warm with or without butter as a delicacy; cooked, pickled, and then eaten cold as a condiment; or peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad. Pickled beets are a traditional food in many countries.

Eastern Europe[]

In Eastern Europe, beet soup, such as borscht, is common. In Poland and Ukraine, beet is combined with horseradish to form ćwikła or бурачки (burachky), which is traditionally used with cold cuts and sandwiches, but often also added to a meal consisting of meat and potatoes.

Similarly in Serbia beetroot (referred to by the local name cvekla) is used as winter salad, seasoned with salt and vinegar, with meat dishes.

As an addition to horseradish, it is also used to produce the "red" variety of chrain, a condiment in Ashkenazi Jewish, Hungarian, Polish, Lithuanian, Russian, and Ukrainian cuisine.

India[]

In Indian cuisine, chopped, cooked, spiced beet is a common side dish. Yellow-coloured beetroots are grown on a very small scale for home consumption.^[10]

Northern Europe[]

A common dish in Sweden and elsewhere in the Nordic countries is Biff à la Lindström, a variant of meatballs or burgers, with chopped or grated beetroot added to the minced meat.^[11][12][13]

In Northern Germany, beetroot is mashed with Labskaus or added as its side order.^[14][15]

Industrial production and other uses[]

A large proportion of the commercial production is processed into boiled and sterilized beets or into pickles.

Betanin, obtained from the roots, is used industrially as red food colorant, to improve the color and flavor of tomato paste, sauces, desserts, jams and jellies, ice cream, candy, and breakfast cereals.^[10] When beet juice is used, it is most stable in foods with a low water content, such as frozen novelties and fruit fillings.^[16]

Beetroot can be used to make wine.^[17]

Nutrition[]

Raw beetroot is 88% water, 10% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat (see table). In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) amount providing 180 kilojoules (43 kilocalories) of food energy, raw beetroot is a rich source (27% of the Daily Value - DV) of folate and a moderate source (16% DV) of manganese, with other nutrients having insignificant content (table).^[18]

The chemical adipic acid rarely occurs in nature, but occurs naturally in beetroot.

In preliminary research, beetroot juice reduced blood pressure in hypertensive people.^[19] Tentative evidence has found that dietary nitrate supplementation, such as from beets and other vegetables, results in a small improvement in endurance exercise performance.^[20]

Safety[]

The red color compound betanin is not broken down in the body, and in higher concentrations may temporarily cause urine or stools to assume a reddish color, in the case of urine a condition called beeturia.^[21]

Although harmless, this effect may cause initial concern due to the visual similarity to what appears to be blood in the stool, hematochezia (blood passing through the anus, usually in or with stool) or hematuria (blood in the urine).^[22]

Nitrosamine formation in beet juice can reliably be prevented by adding ascorbic acid.^[23]

Cultivars[]

Below is a list of several commonly available cultivars of beets. Generally, 55 to 65 days are needed from germination to harvest of the root. All cultivars can be harvested earlier for use as greens. Unless otherwise noted, the root colours are shades of red and dark red with different degrees of zoning noticeable in slices.

See also[]

• List of Lepidoptera that feed on beets

Gallery[]

• 

  A bundle of beetroot

• 

  Section through taproot

• 

  Yellow beetroot

• 

  Borscht

• 

  Salad of grated beetroot and apple

• 

  Finnish rosolli

• 

  Sliced, pickled beetroot

• 

  Red chrain is made with beetroot

• 

  Beet juice

• 

  Golden, red, and white beetroots (left to right).

• 

  Roasted beetroot

• 

  Root and cross section of cultivar 'Chioggia'

• 

  Root and cross section of a yellow cultivar

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Beetroot at Wikimedia Commons