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Carrots have been cultivated for thousands of years. We tell you about the origin, provenance and history of this he althy and delicious vegetable.
The he althy root with many names: the carrot is known, among other things, as yellow beet, carrot, root, carrot, yellow beet, in Switzerland as carrot and in English as carrot. The correct botanical name is Daucus carota subsp. sativus. It belongs to the umbelliferae family and has an extraordinarily high carotene content. The name carrot is derived from the Latin word “carota”. However, this is not a reference to the appetizing orange color caused by the beta-carotene. “Carota” means “burned” in English, suggesting that the tasty roots were purplish in color in ancient times.
Possible places of origin
The origin is suspected in different regions worldwide. However, the exact region of origin could not be found so far. However, it is assumed that possible areas of origin could be in North Africa, in the Near East and in southern Europe. The spread of the crisp and colorful roots was probably quick, because it feels very comfortable in both temperate and subtropical climates. However, there are currently two other options about the origin or the crossing to the carrot that we know. For one, the carrot could be a hybrid of wild carrot and giant carrot, both found in southern Europe. Another option is that today's orange carrot was grown from Turkey's native black carrot for many years. However, the experts still do not agree on this.
Popular from the Neolithic Age to the present day
Finds from different areas have proven that the carrot was eaten as early as the Neolithic Age and not too little. This is probably also a reason for the many names, because the valued vegetable has always been given different names regionally. It doesn't matter whether it was with the Greeks or the Romans: here, too, the carrot was a common vegetable in all social classes. Back then, like thatexperts assume that the coloring was more white and creamy to crimson. In the course of the 16th century, the breeding skills of the Dutch with their green thumbs probably brought about the yellow-orange coloration, which is still known and popular today. However, the success of the carrots is not only due to their great colour: they are very he althy, easily digestible and also convince children with their sweet taste. The carrot is also number 2 in Germany in the list of the most popular vegetables among Germans, just ahead of the onion and behind the potato.
If you too want to grow the popular vegetable, here are our top tips for the perfect carrot from your own garden.