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A carrot (Daucus Carota) is a root vegetable, typically orange or white in color with a woody texture. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot.
The word also names a river in Saskatchewan, Canada: see Carrot River
Uses Carrots are often eaten raw, whole or shaved into salads for color, and are often cooked in soups and stews. One can also make carrot cake and carrot pudding. The greens are not generally eaten in most cultures, but are edible.
Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths. Beta carotene or Vitamin A, which gives this vegetable its characteristic orange colour, is thought to enhance the performance of receptors on the retina and thus improve eyesight. Carrots are also rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, and minerals and are an alkaline food.
History The carrot (Daucus carota) belongs to the Umbellifer family Apiaceae. The wild ancestors of the carrot are likely to have come from Afghanistan, which remains the center of diversity of varieties of D. carota. The familiar wildflower, Wild carrot, better known as "Queen Anne's Lace" is a descendent of a garden carrot; garden carrots that run to seed soon revert to their wild prototype, with a forking carroty_smelling, edible root that quickly becomes too woody and bitter to eat. Parsnips are close relatives of carrots. Carrots or "skirrets" originally came in purple, white and yellow colours. The now synonymous orange carrot was developed in Holland as a tribute to Spain in the 16th century. The orange carrot, not only had a better taste but also had beta carotene making it healthier, and so all other carrots stopped being planted.
Geneticist Leonard M. Pike researched and reinvented a purple and white carrot with substances to prevent cancer. Sales were rather few.
Trivia The world's largest carrot (a statue) is located in Ohakune, New Zealand.
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