Beetroot

 ( Beta ) 

The beetroot (British English) or beet (North American English) is the taproot portion of a Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris plant in the Conditiva Cultivar group."beet". def. 1 and 2. also "beet-root." Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009 The plant is a root vegetable also known as the table beet, garden beet, dinner beet, or else categorized by color: red beet or golden beet. It is also a leaf vegetable called beet greens. Beetroot can be eaten raw, roasted, steamed, or boiled. Beetroot can also be canned, either whole or cut up, and often are pickled, spiced, or served in a sweet-and-sour sauce.

It is one of several cultivated varieties of Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris grown for their edible taproots or leaves, classified as belonging to the Conditiva Cultivar group. Other cultivars of the same subspecies include the sugar beet, the leaf vegetable known as spinach beet (Swiss chard), and the fodder crop mangelwurzel.

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Etymology Beta is the ancient Latin name for beetroot,Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 70 possibly of Celts, becoming bete in Old English. Root derives from the late Old English rōt, itself from Old Norse rót.

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History The domestication of beetroot can be traced to the emergence of an allele that enables biennial plant harvesting of leaves and taproot. Beetroot was domesticated in the ancient Middle East, primarily for their greens, and were grown by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. By the Roman era, it is thought that they were also cultivated for their roots. From the Middle Ages, beetroot was used to treat various conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood. Bartolomeo Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of "garlic-breath".Platina De honesta voluptate et valetudine, 3.14

During the middle of the 17th century, wine often was colored with beetroot juice.Nilsson et al. (1970). "Studies into the pigments in beetroot ( Beta vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris var. rubra L.)"

Food shortages in Europe following World War I caused great hardships, including cases of mangelwurzel disease, as relief workers called it. It was symptomatic of eating only beetroot.

Beetroot was grown in many a victory garden during World War II, in part because the species was seen as an indicator of Gardens for Victory, Consumer Reports, April 1942, p. 94.

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Culinary use Usually, the deep purple roots of beetroot are eaten boiled, roasted, or raw, and either alone or combined with any salad vegetable. The green, leafy portion of the beetroot is also edible. The young leaves can be added raw to salads, while the mature leaves are most commonly served boiled or steamed, in which case they have a taste and texture similar to spinach. Beetroot can be roasted, boiled or steamed, peeled, and then eaten warm with or without butter; cooked, pickled, and then eaten cold as a condiment; or peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad. Pickled beetroot is a traditional food in many countries.

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Australia and New Zealand In Australia and New Zealand, sliced pickled beetroot is a common ingredient in traditional hamburgers.

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Eastern Europe In Eastern Europe, beetroot soup, such as borscht Ukrainian and barszcz czerwony Polish, is common. In Ukraine, a related dish called "shpundra" is also common; this hearty beetroot stew, often made with pork belly or ribs, is sometimes referred to as a thicker version of borscht. In Polish cuisine and Ukraine, beetroot is combined with horseradish to form ćwikła or бурячки (buryachky), which is traditionally used with cold cuts and sandwiches, but often also added to a meal consisting of meat and potatoes.

Similarly, in Serbian cuisine, beetroot (referred to by the local name cvekla) is used as winter salad, seasoned with salt and vinegar, with meat dishes.

As an addition to horseradish, it is also used to produce the "red" variety of chrain, a condiment in Jewish cuisine, Hungarian, Polish cuisine, Lithuanian, Russian cuisine, and Ukrainian cuisine.

Cold beetroot soup called "Šaltibarščiai" is very popular in Lithuania. Traditionally it consists of kefir, boiled beetroot, cucumber, dill, spring onions and can be eaten with boiled eggs and potatoes.

is an old-time traditional Russian [[cold soup]] made from leftover beet greens and chopped beetroots, typically with bread and [[kvass]] added. Botvinya got its name from the Russian ''botva'', which means "root vegetable greens", referring to beet plant leaves.
     

, or svyokolnik, is yet another Russian beet-based soup, typically distinguished from borscht in that vegetables for svekolnik are cooked raw and not sauteed, while many types of borscht typically include sauteed carrots and other vegetables. Svekolnik got its name from svyokla, Russian word for "beet." Sometimes, various types of cold borscht are also called "svekolnik".

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India In Indian cuisine, chopped, cooked, spiced beetroot is a common side dish. Yellow-colored beetroots are grown on a very small scale for home consumption.Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.

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North America Besides standard fruit and vegetable dishes, certain varieties of beets are sometimes used as a garnish to a tart.

(2025). 9780062911230 ISBN 9780062911230

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Northern Europe A common dish in Sweden and elsewhere in the Nordic countries is Biff à la Lindström, a variant of meatballs or burgers, with chopped or grated beetroot added to the Ground meat.

In Northern Germany, beetroot is mashed with Labskaus or added as its side order. SPIEGEL Online on Labskaus in Hamburg (German), Der Spiegel Labskaus mit Rote-Bete-Salat (German), recipe at NDR

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Industrial production and other uses A large proportion of commercial production is processed into boiled and sterilized beetroot or Pickling.

Betanin, obtained from the roots, is used industrially as red Food coloring to enhance the color and flavor of tomato paste, sauces, desserts, and jellies, ice cream, candy, and . When beetroot juice is used, it is most stable in foods with low water content, such as frozen novelties and fruit fillings.

Beetroot can be used to make wine. Making Wild Wines & Meads; Pattie Vargas & Rich Gulling; page 73

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Nutrition Raw beetroot is 88% water, 10% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat. In a amount providing 43 of food energy, raw beetroot is a rich source (27% of the Daily Value, DV) of folate and a moderate source of manganese and potassium (11-14% DV), with other at low content (table).

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Nitrate Beets tend to accumulate nitrates from soil. Excessive nitrates pose a risk to health because they can be converted into nitrosamine in the human stomach. On the other hand, an appropriate amount of nitrates is responsible for the blood-pressure-lowering effect of beetroot juice (see above) and possible other health benefits. In any case, it would be desirable to have a way to remove excess nitrates from beetroot juice.

Paracoccus denitrificans (Pd) bacterium can break down the nitrates, but an intermediate of the breakdown is nitrite, which leads to a risk of nitrosamine formation during denitrification by Pd. Adding ascorbic acid prevents nitrosamine formation in this bacterial process, ensuring safe removal of nitrates. Denitrifying concentrated beet juice requires halophilic bacteria due to the higher osmotic concentration, with Nesterenkonia halobia (formerly Micrococcus halobius) being the most efficient out of three species tested.

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Pigment The red color compound betanin is a betalain in the category of betacyanins. It is not broken down in the body, and in higher concentrations, may temporarily cause urine or stools to assume a reddish color, in the case of urine a condition called beeturia.

Although harmless, this effect may cause initial concern as a medical problem due to a visual similarity with blood in the stool, blood passing through the anus (hematochezia), or blood in the urine (hematuria).

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Cultivars Below is a list of several commonly available of beetroot. Generally, 55 to 65 days are needed from germination to harvest of the root. All cultivars can be harvested earlier for use as greens. Unless otherwise noted, the root colors are shades of red and dark red, with different degrees of zoning noticeable in slices.

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Gallery File:Beets-Bundle.jpg|A bundle of beetroot File:Rote Bete eine Haelfte.jpg|Section through taproot File:A basket of Beetroot.jpg File:Gelbe Bete Randen Beetroot.jpg|Yellow beetroot File:Borscht served.jpg|Borscht File:Salad of grated beet and apple C IMG 4352.JPG|Salad of grated beetroot and apple File:Christmas foods (5300034752).jpg|Finnish rosolli File:Rote Beete - sauer eingelegt (8987-89).jpg|Sliced, pickled beetroot File:Chrain3.jpg|Red chrain is made with beetroot. File:Beet juice-01.jpg|Beetroot juice File:Uncommon beetroot colours.jpg|Golden, red, and white beetroots (left to right) File:Roasted beetroot.jpg|Roasted beetroot File:Beetroot jm27942.jpg|Root and cross-section of cultivar 'Chioggia' File:Beetroot jm27944.jpg|Root and cross-section of a yellow cultivar File:Chioggiabeettart.jpg|Chioggia beet tart Ємність для хріну(хрінничка).jpg|Grated horseradish with beetroot

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