Everyone knows that carrots have a useful composition. This vegetable is an indispensable component of many dishes. Moreover, in some countries, the root crop is considered so famous that in its honor the grand festival Greatest Carrot Festival was organized in the Canadian province of Ontario. Of course, carrots deserve special attention, and now it's time to get to know her better. That's just recently the question "Is carrot a fruit or a vegetable?" becoming more relevant. Let's figure it out together.
All the benefits of a valuable product
The first mention of carrots is found in ancient Greece. Until the XVII century, carrots were significantly different from the vegetable, which now occupies an honorable place in the culinary list of the most common ingredients. The root crop is fodder and table. The first variety has a sweeter taste and rich color. The sweetness of carrots depends on the amount of glucose present in its composition. In addition to its root crop contains a large amount of vitamins (of particular value is vitamin A) and carotene, which is simply indispensable for vision.
Carrot is an indispensable product for children - its components contribute to the normal growth and development of the child. In addition, the substances included in carrots improve the condition of the skin and normalize blood pressure.
Is carrot a fruit or a vegetable?
The emergence of this issue was facilitated by the Portuguese, or rather, their traditional dish. Beloved by all the inhabitants of Europe, carrot jam - this is the main dish of the Portuguese. Yes, just a little snag has arisen - the fact is that it is forbidden to sell preserves from vegetables in the EU countries. As a result, we had to rename carrots to fruit, which facilitated the trading process in European countries. The question "Is carrot a fruit or a vegetable?" fell away by itself - in 1991, an orange root crop acquired the official status of a fruit.
It is worth saying that tomatoes suffered the same fate - now you can safely call a tomato a fruit. And that is not all. It turns out that garden crops familiar to everyone can be both vegetables and fruits. You should get acquainted with the principle of classification of fruits.
What is a fruit and what is a vegetable?
Everyone knows that an apple is a fruit, and a cucumber is a vegetable. However, from a scientific point of view, the situation is somewhat different. The good news is that the amount of vegetables and fruits recommended for daily use is summed up, so everyone can eat what he likes best. However, not everything that is commonly called a fruit is such.
An interesting fact is that beans, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, tomato, bell peppers and corn are fruits. Why? First of all, because they are all flowering plants. Based on this fact, we can conclude that cereals and nuts are also fruits, since there are seeds inside them, with the help of which they multiply. Here the same question may again arise: "Is carrot a fruit or a vegetable?"
In the strict language of botany, one can answer that carrots, like radishes, are vegetables, because they are root crops. Similarly, all leafy plants (spinach, lettuce or celery), flower buds (cauliflower or broccoli), and root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, radishes) are vegetable crops.
Who are you, carrots?
So, is carrot a fruit or a vegetable? In scientific terms, a sweet orange root vegetable is a vegetable. But thanks to Portuguese cuisine, carrots can be called a healthy fruit. Both statements will be considered true.
Who would have thought that carrot jam would cause such upheavals! Culinary masterpieces can work wonders. It remains only to get acquainted with the recipe for this healthy delicacy in order to see firsthand the need for such changes.
This mysterious dessert is very simple to prepare. The good thing is that all the ingredients are available all year round. And here is a list of all the necessary products:
- a kilogram of carrots;
- the same amount of ripe lemons;
- 2 kg of sugar;
- about 10 grams of vanilla sugar or 5 grams of vanillin.
For jam, you should choose lemons with a thin skin - in this case, the dessert will not be bitter. Carrots should be uniform, ripe and juicy, with no obvious signs of spoilage.
Cooking method
Carrot jam is prepared very simply. First of all, it is necessary to clean the root crops, cut into medium sized slices and pass through a meat grinder. You can simultaneously send there the lemons directly together with the zest.
After this, mix the fruits, add sugar and put in an enamel container on a small fire. Carrot jam is prepared for about 40 minutes - all this time you should carefully mix the contents of the container so that the healthy dessert does not burn. After that, it remains only to add vanilla sugar and cook the treat for another 5 minutes.
Then the hot jam should be laid out in prepared jars and rolled up, turned upside down and covered with a warm blanket until it cools completely. Carrot jam is stored throughout the year, which means that a healthy dessert will always be at hand.
All the benefits of a valuable product from the garden
Having learned that carrots are a fruit, but not in Russia, a few words can be said about the importance and value of this girl with a scythe on the street. Carrots are widely used not only in Portuguese cuisine, but also in cosmetology. On its basis, nutritious cosmetics are made that have a rejuvenating effect on the skin. The substances that make up the root crop contribute to the natural renewal of skin cells and maintain its healthy appearance. Sweet carrot masks expand the pores and relieve inflammation.
Carrots with honey are an excellent way to strengthen the immune system. Regular consumption of sweet root (in moderation) contributes to the natural elimination of lead from the body, which is especially important for residents of large cities.
Summing up, we can say that carrots are a universal product that has a lot of useful properties. And it doesn’t matter at all whether it is a vegetable or a fruit.