Noble carrots have long been known as an orange vegetable. Generations of people in our country and in the West have grown, believing that this root crop has always been orange. However, long before orange, there was black carrot, which grew everywhere in Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. It is still grown and consumed today in Turkey, Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan and India.
Black carrots have hundreds of wild varieties and several cultivars. The Latin name of this plant is scorzonera. According to one version, the name comes from the name of the poisonous snake Scorcone, the poison of which, supposedly, could be neutralized using the juice of black carrots. Another version says that the plant got its name from the words scorza and nera ("black bark").
As for the usual orange carrots for us, they began to cultivate it not so long ago. They say that she owes her color to the little principality of Orange. A native of this principality, William of Orange contributed to the liberation of Holland from Spanish rule. Grateful Dutch farmers brought out a new vegetable, painted in the color of the ducal house - orange - and handed it to the descendants of the creator of independent Holland.
But back to the scorzoner. Black carrots have long been considered a healing plant, especially in eastern medicine. It has antibacterial properties, scorzoner seed oil promotes hair growth and eliminates scalp
itching . Currently, the plant is also used as a natural dye. But first of all, traditional medicine experts recommend the use of carrots of this kind to combat such serious ailments as cancer and diabetes.
Black carrots contain substances with strong antioxidant properties: the anthocyanins contained in it are able to counteract toxins that damage healthy cells during a course of chemotherapy. By the way, it is anthocyanins that give the root crop a characteristic color.
Vegetable can be eaten raw, prepare salads from it. Caramelized toasted black carrot is delicious. The photo shows how spectacular it looks in one of the dishes of vegan cuisine, but the picture is not able to convey a magnificent aroma, including notes of vanilla.
Black carrot juice concentrate contains 12 times more antioxidants than a traditional orange carrot concentrate. Despite the color, the vegetable contains 40% more beta-carotene than its orange counterpart. In addition, black root juice contains vitamin A, selenium, potassium, calcium and iron. It improves the condition of the skin and hair, increases sperm production in men, is useful for digestion, and purifies the blood. Due to the presence of insulin, it can be recommended for the nutrition of diabetics and obese people. Moreover, 100 grams of black carrot juice contains only 20 calories.
When in 1996, the British John Stolyarchik from Skipton created a virtual Carrot Museum, the information about black carrots took pride of place in it along with recipes dating back almost 400 years.