From when carrots were purple

Did you know that carrots they weren't always oranges? They were actually purple. The Dutch turned them into oranges in the XNUMXth century, after multiple crosses and experiments, in order to achieve the color of the Dutch royal house of Orange. And they succeeded, the result was a smoother and sweeter variety that spread throughout Europe. But before, they were purple. And today this is being resumed oriental variety, which is actually the original, along with other varieties of different colors. And all can grow in pot.

In Spain, some localities have always cultivated purple carrots, resisting the invasion of the Dutch orange. On MajorcaIt is not difficult to find them in the markets in season. And in Málaga, in Cuevas Bajas, the first Sunday of December is celebrated annually Morá Carrot Festival, a variety that, according to their history, they have cultivated since its introduction by the Arabs, with seeds from the Far East 13 centuries ago. The morá carrot from Cuevas Bajas is larger than the orange and its color is reminiscent of beets.

The carrot comes from Asia. The oldest known evidence of carrot consumption by humans dates back to 3.000 BC. C. in Afghanistan. Those carrots were purple on the outside and yellow on the inside. At first, their stems and leaves were eaten. In the XNUMXst century the root is mentioned for the first time in classical sources. In Europe, there is evidence of its consumption since the XNUMXth century, with descriptions of the purple, red and yellow varieties. It is even believed that the word carrot comes from the Andalusian Arabic. Arab traders spread the carrot seed throughout Asia, Africa, and the Arab countries, including Spain. Thus, varieties with different shades of purple, white, yellow, green and even black emerged.

Nowadays it has become fashionable to re-cultivate colored carrots. In garden centers it is not difficult to find white, yellow, garnet and purple carrot seeds. They offer a variety of color, flavor and a fun touch to salads. Although to add fun, the invention of the Icelanders, who in 1997 developed a carrot with a chocolate flavor within the Wacky Veg program, aimed at children, but it was withdrawn eight months after its launch.

More information - Potted carrots