All colors of carrots taste, well, like carrots, but there are some subtle differences between them. These differences depend on the variety of the carrots and whether they are eaten raw or cooked since cooking minimizes the difference in taste.
Generally speaking, however, red carrots have a flavor similar to that of orange carrots, while white carrots are said to taste less earthy than orange carrots and sweeter than red and purple carrots.
Purple carrots that maintain their purple color on the inside can sometimes have a very subtle peppery flavor, somewhat like a mild radish , that is more noticeable when it is eaten raw. What affects the taste of carrots more than their color, in my opinion, is whether or not they are homegrown.
I conducted an informal experiment comparing the four organically grown carrot varieties from my garden with an organic variety I purchased from a local health-oriented grocery store.
The handful of participants all agreed that the homegrown carrots tasted sweeter and better than the commercially grown carrots, with the latter having a much heavier earthy carrot taste. Kaleidoscope Blend and Carnival Blend are, as their names imply, a blend of different carrot varieties including red, orange, purple, white, and yellow carrots. The Danvers and Nantes Half Long are orange varieties. The store-bought variety was, according to the grower whom I contacted, either Choctaw or Maverick.
This time plant different varieties and colors. Then conduct your own taste test. You may be surprised at how much you like carrots, after all! If you would like to learn more about how to grow carrots, check out my article entitled, How to Grow Carrots in Beds or Containers. If you suffer from venous insufficiency or varicose veins and are looking to reduce varicose veins through dietary modification , adding purple carrots and other foods that contain anthocyanins to your diet might be a good start.
Anthocyanins help fight varicose veins by neutralizing enzymes that destroy connective tissue, by repairing damaged proteins in the blood vessel walls, and by promoting circulation and overall health of the vascular system. Sources for the Nutrition Facts: 1.
Nicolle, C. Genetic variability influences carotenoid, vitamin, phenolic, and mineral content in white, yellow, purple, orange, and dark-orange carrot cultivars. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, v. Purple Carrots: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits Did you know that before the 17th century, almost all cultivated carrots were deep purple, almost black, in color?
Cultivated Carrots Were Originally Purple, Almost Black Most carrots were originally deep purple, almost black, with red and white varieties occasionally popping up. Don't Miss This. Backed by numerous scientific studies, Food Over Medicine explains how dietary choices either benefit long-term health or destroy it. Written in an accessible tone, it is an invaluable resource for anyone looking for evidence-based information on how to stay healthy in the modern world.
About the Authors: Dr. Pamela A. Popper's co-author, Glen Merzer, is a long-time vegan and a co-author of several books discussing the benefits a low-fat, plant-based diet. Check it out on Amazon. See Article. Oven Roasting Times for 60 Common Vegetables A comprehensive chart grouping vegetables based on their oven roasting times. Carrots of Asian origin belonging to Eastern gene pool are more often purple or red and richer in phenolics and have higher antiradical activity than those from the Western gene pool which now have mainly orange roots.
One study found that, compared to orange carrots, purple carrots contain twice the amount of alpha and beta carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A, this is in conflict with most other, more recent studies which show purple varieties tend to to have the same or less beta carotene, than orange varieties.
It is difficult to be definitive when thare some many different variants in the core colour of purple carrots. Read this informative article in the Wisconsin Magazine for Life Sciences on how to make a purple carrot here.
Purple carrots usually orange or white inside have a high beta carotene content like their orange cousins, and get their pigment from anthocyanins, these pigments act as powerful antioxidants that protect key cell components, grabbing and holding on to harmful free radicals in the body. Anthocyanins also help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting and are good anti inflammatory agents. These originate from Turkey, and the Middle and Far East.
The cultivated carrot is believed to originate from Afghanistan before the s, as this area is described as the primary centre of greatest carrot diversity Mackevic , Turkey being proposed as a secondary centre of origin Banga The first cultivated carrots exhibited purple or yellow roots. In Europe, genetic improvement led to a wide variety of cultivars.
White and orange-coloured carrots were first described in Western Europe in the early s Banga Concomitantly, the Asiatic carrot was developed from the Afghan type and a red type appeared in China and India around the s Laufer ; Shinohara According to this history, it makes sense to envisage that colour should be considered as a structural factor in carrot germplasm. Purple or almost black carrots grow mostly in southern Europe and Asia.
Their characteristic purple or black colour comes from pigments called anthocyanins. These pigments exhibit a reversible change in molecular structure as the pH of solutions change from acidic to basic. This change in structure is characterized by a shift in hue from red to purple to blue as the pH changes from acidic to basic. Many of the pigments in carrots serve to shield plant cells during photosynthesis. Purple carrots possess an entirely different class of pigments from the other carrot colours - anthocyanins - which act as powerful antioxidants.
Red carrots derive their colour mainly from lycopene, a type of carotene believed to guard against heart disease and some cancers. Yellow carrots accumulate xanthophylls, pigments similar to beta-carotene that support good eye health. Carrots became widely cultivated in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries and were first brought over to North America during this same general time period. The noble carrot has long been known as an orange vegetable. Generations of people in the West have grown up believing that carrots have always been orange.
But long before the Orange carrot became established in the 16th century the purple or maroon carrot existed across in Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. By the 10th century purple carrots were grown in Afghanistan and northern Iran which are considered the centres of origin. Purple, white and yellow carrots were imported to southern Europe in the 14th century.
Black, red and white carrots were also grown. Purple carrots were used as a clothing dye for Afghan royalty. Much later, in the 16th century some motivated Dutch growers developed orange rooted carrots and made them sweeter and more practical.
According to plant scientist Dr Hazel MacTavish-West, research suggests eating a purple carrot a day has the potential t o protect against cardiovascular disease, inhibit cancer cells and reverse negative effects of a high-fat diet, among other benefits.
It comes after a number of research projects indicated this, including last year's University of Southern Queensland study into the ancient carrot variety that found purple carrots were high in anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants. Results of the pre-clinical trial on rats when fed a high-fat diet got fat, developed high blood pressure, became glucose intolerant and had liver and heart damage but after being fed purple carrot juice for several weeks everything was back to normal.
Purple carrots contained up to five times more phenolics and falcarinol than orange carrots and both compounds are being investigated for their potential to protect against cardiovascular disease, inhibit the development of cancer cells in the body and reverse the negative effects of high-fat diets. Purple carrots are best eaten raw to get the maximum benefit but can still be steamed, boiled, roasted and juiced.
A study reported in the British Journal of Nutrition stated - The present stud y demonstrates for the first time that treatment of the metabolic syndrome induced by diet in rats with purple carrot juice attenuates or reverses the changes in cardiovascular and liver structure and functions as well as in metabolic parameters, especially abdominal fat deposition and plasma lipid profiles. As the juice itself contained low concentrations of carotenoids, it is likely that the anthocyanins are responsible for the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of purple carrot juice.
Furthermore, b-carotene alone produces limited and sometimes contradictory responses compared with purple carrot juice in this rat model of the metabolic syndrome. Purple carrots are even higher in antioxidants than orange carrots, and they also possess anti-inflammatory properties.
This could make them very useful in the treatment of arthritis. They have been found to be antiviral, antiseptic and antimicrobial, and they also contain anticarcinogens and betacarotenes.
They also contain phytochemicals including carotenoids, polyacetylenes, isocoumarins, phenolics and sesquiterpenes. Phytochemicals have antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and other disease preventative and health enhancing properties.
Anticarcinogens help to reduce the risk of cancer and also help to fight against any already-present cancer cells in our bodies. Purple carrots are also excellent at fighting against viral as well as bacterial infections, such as flu, measles and internal infections of the urinary tract, mouth and stomach. Purple carrots contain high doses of Vitamin A, which helps to prevent clogging of the arteries and thus helps to prevent strokes.
Along with that, they also contain vitamin B, C and E as well as calcium pectate, which is a very good source of fibre, and they help to lower cholesterol levels. They are also very useful in the prevention of macular degeneration. Studies into the health qualities of purple carrots have shown that they give us extra protection against various forms of cancer and heart disease.
They contain purple pigments called anthocyanins, and act as anti-oxidants that protect the body. There are up to 28 times more anthocyanins - the antioxidant that creates the purple-red pigment in blueberries and raspberries - in purple carrots than there are in orange ones.
Food Chem. Carrot Profile. Effect of storage and cooking on beta-carotene isomers in carrots Daucus carota L. J Agric Food Chem. Effects of harvesting date and storage on the amounts of polyacetylenes in carrots, Daucus carota.
Epub Oct
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