History

The wild ancestors of the carrot are likely to have come from Afghanistan, which remains the centre of diversity of D. carota, the wild carrot. Selective breeding over the centuries of a naturally-occurring subspecies of the wild carrot, Daucus carota subsp. sativus has produced the familiar garden vegetable.

In early use, carrots were grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. Some relatives of the carrot are still grown for these, such as parsley, fennel, dill and cumin. The first mention of the root in classical sources is in the 1st century CE. The modern carrot appears to have been introduced to Europe in the 8-10th centuries; Ibn al-Awam, in Andalusia, describes both red and yellow carrots; Simeon Seth also mentions both colours in the 11th century. Orange-coloured carrots appear in the Netherlands in the 17th century.

In addition to wild carrot, these alternative (mostly historical) names are recorded for Daucus carota: Bee's-nest, Bee's-nest plant, Bird's-nest, Bird's-nest plant, Bird's-nest root, Carota, Carotte (French), Carrot, Common carrot, Crow's-nest, Daucon, Dawke, Devil's-plague, Fiddle, Gallicam, Garden carrot, Gelbe Rübe (German), Gingidium, Hill-trot, Laceflower, Mirrot, Möhre (German), Parsnip (misapplied), Queen Anne's lace, Rantipole, Staphylinos, and Zanahoria.

The parsnip is a close relative of the carrot, as is parsley.

Vegetable:

Many root and non-root vegetables that grow underground can be stored through winter in a root cellar or other similarly cool, dark and dry place to prevent mold, greening and sprouting - Kai-lan, Bok choy, Komatsuna - Amaranth, Bitterleaf, Catsear - Malabar gourd, Marrow, Parwal - Guar, Horse gram, Indian pea

Potato:

The potato is the term which applies either to the starchy tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, or to the plant itself - The English word potato comes from Spanish patata, ultimately from Nahuatl potatl, potentially its first name - Potato plants grow high to the ground and bear yellow to silver flowers with yellow stamens - There is general agreement among contemporary botanists that the potato originated in the Andes, all the way from Colombia to northern Argentina, but with a concentration of genetic diversity, both in the form of cultivated and wild species, in the area of modern day Peru - Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato).

Uses

Carrots can be eaten raw, whole, chopped, grated, or added to salads for colour or texture. They are also often chopped and boiled, fried or steamed, and cooked in soups and stews, as well as fine baby foods and select pet foods. A well known dish is carrots julienne. Grated carrots are used in carrot cakes, as well as carrot puddings, an old English dish thought to have originated in the early 1800s. The greens are edible as a leaf vegetable, but are rarely eaten by humans. Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths.

Ever since the late 1980s, baby carrots or mini-carrots (carrots that have been peeled and cut into uniform cylinders) have been a popular ready-to-eat snack food available in many supermarkets.

Carrot juice is also widely marketed, especially as a health drink, either stand-alone or blended with other fruits and vegetables.

The carrot gets its characteristic orange colour from β-carotene, which on consumption by humans is metabolised into vitamin A. Massive overconsumption of carrots can cause hypercarotenemia, a condition in which the skin turns orange (although this is superior to overdose effects of vitamin A, which can cause liver damage). Carrots are also rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, and minerals.

Lack of Vitamin A can cause poor vision, including night vision, and vision can be restored by adding Vitamin A back into the diet. An urban legend developed from this that British gunners in World War II were able to shoot down German planes in the dark because of their superior eyesight as a result of consuming carrots. A famous gunner, John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham, took his nickname from this. The legend arose during the Battle of Britain and was an attempt to cover up the discovery and use of radar technologies. It reinforced existing German folklore and helped to encourage children to eat the vegetable.

Ethnomedically, the roots are used to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites, and tonsilitis.

Falcarinol, a seventeen-carbon diyne fatty alcohol was isolated from carrot and red ginseng (Panax ginseng). It was shown to have potent anticancer properties on primary mammary epithelial cells (breast cancer).

Vegetable:

Many root and non-root vegetables that grow underground can be stored through winter in a root cellar or other similarly cool, dark and dry place to prevent mold, greening and sprouting - Kai-lan, Bok choy, Komatsuna - Amaranth, Bitterleaf, Catsear - Malabar gourd, Marrow, Parwal - Guar, Horse gram, Indian pea

Potato:

The potato is the term which applies either to the starchy tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, or to the plant itself - The English word potato comes from Spanish patata, ultimately from Nahuatl potatl, potentially its first name - Potato plants grow high to the ground and bear yellow to silver flowers with yellow stamens - There is general agreement among contemporary botanists that the potato originated in the Andes, all the way from Colombia to northern Argentina, but with a concentration of genetic diversity, both in the form of cultivated and wild species, in the area of modern day Peru - Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato).

Carrot

The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a root vegetable, usually orange or white, or red-white blend in color, with a crisp texture when fresh. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. It has been bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot, but is still the same species.

It is a biennial plant which grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer, while building up the stout taproot, which stores large amounts of sugars for the plant to flower in the second year. The flowering stem grows to about 1 m tall, with an umbel of white flowers.

Vegetable:

Many root and non-root vegetables that grow underground can be stored through winter in a root cellar or other similarly cool, dark and dry place to prevent mold, greening and sprouting - Kai-lan, Bok choy, Komatsuna - Amaranth, Bitterleaf, Catsear - Malabar gourd, Marrow, Parwal - Guar, Horse gram, Indian pea

Potato:

The potato is the term which applies either to the starchy tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, or to the plant itself - The English word potato comes from Spanish patata, ultimately from Nahuatl potatl, potentially its first name - Potato plants grow high to the ground and bear yellow to silver flowers with yellow stamens - There is general agreement among contemporary botanists that the potato originated in the Andes, all the way from Colombia to northern Argentina, but with a concentration of genetic diversity, both in the form of cultivated and wild species, in the area of modern day Peru - Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato).