Purple carrots - a plant of the Umbrella family. Many people believe that such a vegetable is genetically modified, although this is not the case. When people first cultivated carrots, they were purple. In ancient times, this vegetable was used exclusively for medicinal purposes. Time passed, and the place of the purple root vegetable was taken by the orange carrot, so familiar to everyone. The outside of the vegetable is brightly colored purple, and inside it is orange (see photo). IN lately The purple carrot variety is gaining popularity again and is returning to store shelves.
Useful properties
Recent studies have shown that chemical composition The taste of this unusual vegetable is much richer than that of the usual carrot, as it contains an ideal balance of vitamins and minerals.
The unusual color of root vegetables is provided by beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which in the body is converted into vitamin A, which is necessary for the body. In addition, beta-carotene has a positive effect on vision and helps get rid of fatigue and some diseases of the visual system, such as cataracts. This natural antioxidant also helps slow down the aging process in the body.
The unusual color of root vegetables is provided by the substance anthocyanin, which also helps to cope with various diseases of the heart and blood vessels. In addition, this substance is an excellent cancer prevention.
Use in cooking
Purple carrots can be used in cooking, just like their orange counterpart, i.e. root vegetables are boiled, fried, stewed, and also baked and steamed. They are also used to make marinades. Purple carrots has a sweeter taste and is distinguished by its juiciness. This makes it possible to obtain delicious juice from the purple vegetable, and it can also be used in various desserts. This beautiful and colorful root vegetable can be used as a garnish for other dishes. Purple carrots included variety of dishes, for example, it is added to salads, side dishes, soups, etc.
Benefits of purple carrots and treatment
The benefits of purple carrots were established after a series of experiments. Doctors say that regular consumption of this root vegetable helps strengthen the immune system, as well as improve the condition of the heart and blood vessels. Recent experiments have shown excellent results, which indicate that purple carrots increases the body’s resistance to various cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Harm of purple carrots and contraindications
Purple carrots can cause harm if the product is abused, as well as with personal intolerance. In addition, people with inflammation should limit their consumption of this root vegetable. small intestine and ulcers. There are no other contraindications.
Recently, purple carrots have appeared in many European stores, which are in good demand among customers.
However, this achievement of breeders fits perfectly folk wisdom, which says that everything new is well forgotten old. Do you have a question about why we call this newfangled carrot a well-forgotten old one? After reading this article, you will not only get the answer to this question, but also learn a lot of interesting things about such an unusual purple carrot.
How a person met carrots
There is no exact and reliable information about how people met this root vegetable, but there is a rather interesting version of such a meeting. More than 4,000 years ago, a man noticed that a horse was chewing some kind of plant with pleasure. Having become interested, he took a carrot from the animal, and he liked it.
Having remembered what the leaves of the tasty root looked like, the man went in search of it. Taking into account all subsequent events, wild purple carrots came to taste and they began to cultivate them.
A short excursion into history
Not long ago, archaeologists discovered a 4,000-year-old fresco on the walls of one, which depicts a light purple carrot.
It turns out that the very first carrots were originally purple, and until the 17th century, root vegetables colored red, white and yellow. White and pink carrots grew in the gardens of the Roman Empire, and the inhabitants of ancient Greece did not use them for food, but used them for almost all diseases as a natural medicine. Residents of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan already grew dark purple in the 10th century. In the 13th century, raspberry and yellow flowers. In addition, one could find this vegetable in red, green and black colors.
The carrot that is familiar to us appeared relatively recently, in the 16th century. Dutch patriotic breeders, who supported William of Orange in the fight against Spanish rule over the Netherlands, developed a variety with a color unusual for that time, but so familiar and loved by us today.
This vegetable came to Russia in the 16th century and for a long time was used exclusively for medicinal purposes.
What's in it?
Numerous studies have found that purple carrots are rich in vitamins B, A, C, E, as well as various micro- and macroelements necessary for our body. In addition, this root vegetable contains several times more beta-carotene than a standard orange carrot. Vitamins E and C, together with selenium, effectively fight foci of inflammatory processes.
But the most important thing is how purple carrots differ from their orange “relative” - the presence and high concentration anthocyanins, plant pigments that not only color vegetables and fruits black, blue or purple, but also have a large number properties useful to us.
What is its use
Due to the presence of “purple” pigments - anthocyanins - this purple vegetable exhibits the following beneficial properties:
- Anticancer effect. A substance found in purple carrots, the carotenoid lutein, helps anthocyanins to noticeably slow down the growth of cancer cells.
- Anti-inflammatory effect.
- Helps strengthen the immune system.
- Is an excellent remedy prevention of heart diseases vascular system.
- Helps well with diseases of the vascular system, especially with varicose veins veins and venous insufficiency.
- Helps improve vision and serves as an excellent prophylactic against the development of retinopathy in patients with diabetes.
- Normalizes and stabilizes cholesterol levels in the blood.
- Reduces high blood pressure.
- Strengthens the kidneys.
- Calcium contained in purple carrots along with other beneficial substances is easily absorbed by the body and helps maintain good skin, nails and hair.
- Regular use is good remedy in the fight against various sexual dysfunctions in both men and women.
How to grow it
Many gardeners and gardeners, having learned about the benefits of this root vegetable, are interested in whether it is possible to get purple carrot seeds somewhere. As a rule, the seeds of such plants, which are not yet very familiar to us, are sold by large manufacturers in specialized stores or garden centers. You can also ask regular store, it is only important to remember that there are different varieties of purple carrots, and it is better to know their names. Today on Russian market There are not many seeds of varietal purple carrots. This:
- Dragon, colored bright purple with an orange center and a sweet taste.
- Purple Elixir, with purple-violet skin and flesh and a contrasting honey-orange core.
- Cosmic Purple, purple on the outside and completely yellow-orange on the inside.
The history of the appearance of carrots is quite unusual - the first time a person tried them, oddly enough, was thanks to a horse that was chewing an unknown purple plant. Ancient man Having seen this, I became interested and decided to try this root vegetable myself. Having appreciated the taste of carrots, he dug up more based on the shape of the leaves and shared his find with his fellow tribesmen. That's how people learned about carrots.
Composition and benefits of purple carrots
Purple carrots are simply a storehouse of various macro- and microelements. It contains vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B5, B6, B9), A, PP, C, K, beta-carotene, E, H, mono- and disaccharides, starch, as well as calcium, aluminum, magnesium, sodium , potassium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, iron, zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, selenium, chromium, vanadium, fluorine, molybdenum, boron, vanadium, copper, manganese, cobalt, lithium, aluminum, nickel.
Thanks to this vitamin and mineral set, purple carrots are simply irreplaceable for, for example, pregnant and nursing mothers, so that their baby develops properly and grows healthy and strong.
Beta-carotene, as well as carrots in general, is recommended for girls who want to maintain the youth and elasticity of their skin for a long time. In addition, purple carrots contain almost twice as much beta-carotene as our usual orange carrots.
Selenium in combination with vitamins C and E serves as an invaluable aid in the fight against various inflammatory processes, arising in the human body. Purple carrots also have antibacterial effects.
Carrots are an aphrodisiac
Purple carrots have long been considered an aphrodisiac. Even medieval men celebrated it beneficial influence on masculine nature, the ability to restore strength lost in love pleasures.
Carrots are an aphrodisiac not only for men, but also for women, since regular consumption of this juicy root vegetable of the celery family (by the way, read about celery as an aphrodisiac) normalizes work cardiovascular system, as well as the circulatory system, which has the best effect on the bright, full of unforgettable impressions, sexual life of both partners. And beta-carotene, contained in large quantities in purple carrots, has a rejuvenating effect on the skin, which is very important for women trying to be charming and sexually attractive at any age.
Carrots: origin story
Most of us are accustomed to thinking that in nature there are only orange carrots. However, I want to dispel this myth and tell you the true story of carrots. In fact, carrots were originally purple by nature. Purple carrots are not the result of work genetic engineering and not the ravings of a madman. According to the results of numerous archaeological studies, humanity began to grow purple carrots 2000 BC. Based on discovered rock paintings and excavations, archaeologists concluded that initially carrots were exclusively purple in color.
History confirms this fact. According to historians, purple carrots began their spread around the world from Central Asia, where Afghanistan is now located, about five thousand years ago towards the Mediterranean. Drawings found in the pyramids and temples of Egypt indicate that the ancient Egyptians used carrots. The purple carrot left its mark in Ancient Rome– a recipe book written by a certain Roman Gavius Marcus has survived to this day, which contains some recipes for preparing this undoubtedly healthy vegetable. Purple carrot seeds have also been found in ancient dwellings in England and Switzerland. Until the 16th century AD, carrots were classified as delicacies. However, Europeans, or rather the Dutch, already in the 17th century began growing and experimenting with the selection of purple carrots - this is how the world learned about new variety carrots - orange, and gradually began to forget about purple. It is worth noting that in German and French cuisine there are still carrot sauces that are considered delicacies.
The history of carrots on Russian soil began in the 16th century. In ancient Rus', doctors, or healers, often prescribed fresh carrots, or carrots with honey, to their patients. At the same time, the ancient Russians came up with a way to preserve all the beneficial properties of carrots for a long time (from autumn until spring) - they were placed in honey, which, due to its chemical composition, preserved healing properties carrots. IN Ancient Rus' We also learned how to prepare a carrot drink that has medicinal powers. With its help, diseases of the liver and heart, as well as nasopharynx, were successfully treated.
This excellent-tasting vegetable was used in ancient times not only as food, but also as medicine. Currently, archaeologists have information that in Ancient Greece and Rome, purple carrots were not eaten, but were used exclusively as an effective medicinal product. Carrot seeds, according to ancient healers, reduced the risk of infection urinary tract, and the leaves helped with the occurrence oncological diseases. Nowadays, orange carrots have gained popularity, although in purple carrots, according to the results of numerous scientific research, a more optimal set of minerals and vitamins that have a positive effect on the human body.
Purple carrots contain quite a bit large number beta-carotene, which slows down cell aging and is an antioxidant natural origin. Eating carrots, especially those with a purple hue, significantly reduces the risk of developing eye diseases such as cataracts. Ophthalmologists advise using carrots in your diet, as for various diseases eyes, and as their prevention.
Where did purple carrots come from, their calorie content and chemical composition. Useful properties and features of use. Use in cooking and interesting facts about a purple root vegetable.
Contents of the article:
Purple carrots are not the delights of breeders. Judging by the evidence of archaeologists, wild carrots were purple. Petrified seeds of the plant were discovered in tombs, the “laying” time of which was estimated as 5 thousand years BC, and in the Egyptian temple of Luxor in the drawings the carrots were purple. Despite the purple color, the root vegetable is no different from the usual one from the Apiaceae family. It has an unusual color only on the outside; on the inside it is traditionally orange. In ancient times, the vegetable was used only for medicinal purposes; orange carrots of Arab varieties began to be used for cooking.
Composition and calorie content of purple carrots
Purple carrots are no less caloric than traditionally colored varieties, chemical composition and nutritional value are also not much different. Theorists dietary nutrition they claim that the complex of nutrients in a vegetable of this color is more balanced and easier to digest.
Calorie content of purple carrots per 100 g is 35 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 1.3 g;
- Carbohydrates - 6.9-5.7 g;
- Fats - 0.1 g;
- Ash - 1 g;
- Dietary fiber - 2.4 g;
- Water - 86.6-88 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.06 mg;
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.07 mg;
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - 0.1 mg;
- Vitamin B9 (folic acid) - 9 mg;
- Vitamin C - 5 mg;
- Vitamin E (TE) - 0.4 mg;
- Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 13.2 mcg;
- Vitamin PP (Niacin equivalent) - 1.1 mg;
- Vitamin A (VE) - 2000 mcg;
- Beta-carotene - 12 mg;
- Vitamin B5 ( pantothenic acid) - 0.3 mg;
- Vitamin H (biotin) - 0.06 mcg.
- Sodium - 21 mg;
- Potassium - 200 mg;
- Phosphorus - 55 mg;
- Magnesium - 38 mg;
- Calcium - 27 mg;
- Sulfur - 6 mg;
- Copper - 80 mcg;
- Boron - 200 mcg;
- Aluminum - 323 mcg;
- Iodine - 5 mcg;
- Manganese - 0.2 mg;
- Chromium - 3 mcg;
- Fluoride - 55 mcg;
- Molybdenum - 20 mcg;
- Vanadium - 99 mcg;
- Cobalt - 2 mcg;
- Nickel - 6 mcg;
- Selenium - 0.1 mcg;
- Lithium - 6 mcg;
- Zinc - 0.4 mg;
- Iron - 0.7 mg;
- Chlorine - 63 mg.
Raw vegetables replenish the reserve useful substances human body. Purple carrots combine the properties of regular carrots, rich in vitamin C and carotene, and blueberries, thanks to anthocyanins.
For useful action Purple carrots contain the following substances:
- Vitamin C is involved in redox processes and improves the body's immunity.
- Beta-carotene protects against free radicals, helps the body resist negative impact external factors, increases stress resistance.
- Anthocyanins have a wide range of beneficial properties. They have analgesic, antispasmodic, diuretic, adaptogenic, bactericidal, antioxidant, hemostatic and sedative effects. In addition, due to the high content of these compounds in the chemical composition, they make the fruit an aphrodisiac.
Health Benefits of Purple Carrots
The pronounced benefits of purple carrots occur when consumed fresh vegetable in its raw form. During storage, the beneficial effect is reduced by half.
Beneficial properties when acting on the body are manifested as follows:
- Prevents malignancy. The anticancer effect is provided by the carotenoid lutein; it reduces the rate of degeneration of already changed cells and stops the transformation of healthy ones.
- Has an anti-inflammatory effect. When eliminating the symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis - pain and aches in the joints - eating the root vegetable relieves pain faster than taking Aspirin.
- Helps strengthen the immune system, stimulates the production of interferons and increases protective properties body.
- It has a pronounced preventive effect and prevents the development of pathologies of the cardiovascular system. Inhibits the deposition of cholesterol, prevents the appearance of symptoms of varicose veins, normalizes blood clotting and stops thrombus formation.
- Has a beneficial effect on the urinary system. Strengthens the kidney, helps the body overcome sexual dysfunctions. Thanks to the complex of nutrients, the work reproductive system men is improving.
- Normalizes diastolic and reduces systolic pressure.
- Improves vision, stabilizes function optic nerve, prevents the development of retinopathy in patients with a history of diabetes mellitus.
- Improves the condition of skin, teeth and hair.
I wonder what beneficial effect purple carrots on the body after heat treatment is changing. The effect of the nutrient complex is reduced by 3-4 times, but the antioxidant effect increases. Besides, boiled carrots stimulates peristalsis, has a cleansing effect, removes toxins and waste from the body, stops vital activity pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal lumen.
Harm and contraindications to eating purple carrots
There are some contraindications to improving your health with purple carrots.
The root vegetable should not be eaten raw:
- With pancreatitis - increases chemical load on digestive gland, stimulates the release of pancreatic enzymes.
- For gastritis with increased acidity, with stomach ulcers and duodenum- acidity increases even more, the mechanical load on the mucous membrane increases.
- For colitis and enterocolitis, stimulation of peristalsis contributes to the development of diarrhea, the appearance of painful colic and spasms.
If you have liver dysfunction, you should limit the amount of food in your diet - no more than an average carrot per day. At healthy liver You can eat up to 4 purple root vegetables.
Abuse can cause nausea, vomiting, severe weakness and yellowing of the skin even in completely healthy people.
Purple Carrot Recipes
Purple carrots are juicier than regular carrots and have a sweeter flavor. It is advisable to use it as an ingredient in salads, introduce it into fruit cocktail- more juice is obtained from a purple root vegetable than from the same amount of traditionally colored raw material. You can add it to all dishes where regular carrots are used, boil it, pickle it, stew it and bake it on the grill. It is more convenient for making dessert because of its rich taste. Additionally, for decorative purposes, cutting the purple root vegetable can provide an alternative to the elaborate flowers cut from regular carrots.
Purple Carrot Recipes:
- Rainbow salad. All vegetables are washed and peeled: daikon - 400 g, purple carrots - 1 piece, bell pepper yellow and orange - 1 piece, parsley - half a bunch, half a red and onions, garlic. All vegetables are cut into long strips, onions into half rings, and garlic is chopped. Lemon juice (3 tablespoons) mixed with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil- better than olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. All ingredients are mixed, trying to arrange the vegetables in such a way as to highlight the colors favorably, and season with the prepared sauce. There is another way to present this type of salad - all the vegetables on a common dish are laid out with flower petals: red onion is laid out in the shape of the center of the flower, the rest of the vegetables are around. They mix it in their own bowls. The sauce is served separately, in a gravy boat.
- Hearty salad. Ingredients: a glass of white beans, carrots - 1 purple and 2 regular, a stalk of celery, lettuce - 200 g. Seasonings: 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, to taste sea salt, sugar, mustard and lemon juice. The beans need to be prepared in advance. She's getting flooded cold water- better in the evening, cook until tender, just add salt and let cool. Red carrots are boiled and then cut into cubes. Purple carrots are cut into strips raw. Celery root is also cut into strips. Lettuce leaves are dried and torn by hand. The sauce is mixed separately. The salad is laid out in a mound and topped with strips of purple carrots and lettuce leaves.
- Carrot smoothie for obesity. For 2 servings of the drink, you need to take enough purple carrots to make 200 ml of juice. Juice from celery and spinach is also squeezed out - 130 ml each, these products are used together with the pulp. Mix everything, add a little fresh parsley. Drink after meals.
- Cocktail for beauty and vigor. Ingredients: 4 purple carrots, 1 beetroot, 3 parsnip roots. After preparing the juice, the pulp is discarded. They drink in the morning.
- Cocktail for strengthening skeletal system . You need to calculate the number of vegetables to get 250 ml carrot juice, 110 ml of lettuce juice and 50 ml of dandelion juice.
- Nutritional cocktail . 300 g purple carrots, 250 g mixture of apple and peach pulp, 50 g sugar or honey, 300 ml cream 20%. All vegetables are ground in a blender - purple carrots are so juicy that the result is not fruit puree, but juice with pulp. Add cream and mix again with a blender. If the cocktail is made for adults, cool it before drinking.
- Confiture. 300 g of purple carrots, 1 lemon - juice and zest are used, sugar - 150-200 g. Purple carrots are very sweet, and if the zest is neglected, the dessert will turn out to be too sugary. The root vegetable is cut into slices, approximately 0.5 mm thick, covered with sugar and lemon cut into slices is added, along with the peel. Everything is poured into a basin and put on fire. Purple carrots are so juicy that you don't need to add water. Boil for 15-20 minutes, then put into sterilized jars and roll up the lids. The jars should cool under a blanket - at this time the confiture arrives. Storage is the same as for regular jam, at room temperature.
- Colored frying. Purple carrots are grated and lightly fried, mixed with finely chopped fried onions and seasoned with salt. The frying turns out to be multi-colored, two colors - orange and purple. It can be added to boiled rice, pasta, barley porridge.
Man became acquainted with carrots thanks to farm animals. Noticing that they happily chewed the dark purple roots, people began to dig them up themselves. The first carrot roots grown in cool areas were small, branched and dark purple in color.
Carrots from tropical and subtropical zones were bright orange and more fleshy, but they spread throughout the world only in the 17th century. They began to forget about purple varieties; they were grown only for decorative purposes, and when they were found in the wild, they were used as medicinal plant. Now breeders are restoring the original appearance of carrots, trying to enhance them with the qualities of an orange root vegetable.
The anti-cancer effect of purple carrots is not an unfounded claim. The properties of the root vegetable were studied at the University of Maryland in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Anthocyanins slow down the development of colon cancer. This effect was explained by the presence of the carotenoid lutein in the root crop.
The amount of anthocyanins in purple carrots depends on the thickness of the color layer:
- It is most pronounced in the “Purple Elixir” variety. The orange color of this variety is only at the core.
- “Purple Haze F1” has an outer layer up to 0.5 cm, the pulp and core are like regular carrots.
- “Cosmic Purple” is an early ripening hybrid; the outside of the carrots is bright purple, but this layer can be removed along with the thin peel.
- “Purple Dragon” differs from ordinary carrots not only in its unusual color, but also in its taste; it is spicy, slightly tart.
What to cook from purple carrots - watch the video:
Purple carrots are grown in the same way as regular carrots. Seeds can be purchased from amateur gardeners or ordered online.
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