Beetroot#As a dye

Beta is the ancient Latin name for beetroot,Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521866453}} (hardback), {{ISBN|9780521685535}} (paperback). pp 70 possibly of Celtic origin, becoming bete in Old English.{{cite web|title=Beet|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=beet|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper|access-date=25 April 2017|date=2017}} Root derives from the late Old English rōt, itself from Old Norse rót.{{Cite web | url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/root | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927105035/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/root | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 27, 2016 |title = Root | Meaning of Root by Lexico}}

The domestication of beetroot can be traced to the emergence of an allele that enables biennial harvesting of leaves and taproot.{{Cite journal|last1=Pin|first1=Pierre A.|last2=Zhang|first2=Wenying|last3=Vogt|first3=Sebastian H.|last4=Dally|first4=Nadine|last5=Büttner|first5=Bianca|last6=Schulze-Buxloh|first6=Gretel|last7=Jelly|first7=Noémie S.|last8=Chia|first8=Tansy Y. P.|last9=Mutasa-Göttgens|first9=Effie S.|display-authors=3|date=2012-06-19|title=The Role of a Pseudo-Response Regulator Gene in Life Cycle Adaptation and Domestication of Beet|journal=Current Biology|language=en|volume=22|issue=12|pages=1095–1101|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2012.04.007|issn=0960-9822|pmid=22608508|doi-access=free|bibcode=2012CBio...22.1095P |hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-000E-F07C-6|hdl-access=free}} 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.{{cite book|last=MacMillan|first=Margaret Olwen|title=Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World|title-link=Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World|publisher=Random House|year=2002|isbn=978-0375508264|edition=1st U.S.|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/paris1919sixmont00macm/page/60 60]|chapter=We are the League of the People|lccn=2002023707|quote=Relief workers invented names for things they had never seen before, such as the mangelwurzel disease, which afflicted those who lived solely on beetroot.|author-link=Margaret MacMillan|orig-year=2001}}

Beetroot was grown in many a victory garden during World War II, in part because the species was seen as an indicator of soil pH with good growth a sign that soil acidity was not too strong.https://archive.org/details/sim_consumer-reports_1942-04_7_4/page/94/mode/2up Gardens for Victory, Consumer Reports, April 1942, p. 94.

{{nutritionalvalue | name=Beetroot, raw

| water=87.58g

| kJ= 180

| protein=1.61 g

| fat=0.17 g

| carbs=9.56 g

| fiber=2.8 g

| sugars=6.76 g

| calcium_mg=16

| iron_mg=0.8

| magnesium_mg=23

| phosphorus_mg=40

| potassium_mg=325

| sodium_mg=78

| zinc_mg=0.35

| manganese_mg=0.329

| vitC_mg=4.9

| pantothenic_mg=0.155

| vitB6_mg=0.067

| folate_ug=109

| thiamin_mg=0.031

| riboflavin_mg=0.04

| niacin_mg=0.334

| vitA_ug = 2

| betacarotene_ug=20

| source_usda=1

| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169145/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]

}}

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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In Australia and New Zealand, sliced pickled beetroot is a common ingredient in traditional hamburgers.{{cite web|website=Snot Block & Roll|title=Grill'd (burger), Crows Nest|first=David|last=Morgan-Mar|date=17 July 2015|publisher=WordPress|url=https://www.mezzacotta.net/blockandroll/2015/07/17/grilld-burger/}}

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 Poland 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 Serbia, 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 Ashkenazi Jewish, Hungarian, Polish, Lithuanian, Russian, 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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

{{ill|Botvinya|ru|Ботвинья}} 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.

{{ill|Svekolnik|ru|Свекольник}}, 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".{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

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.

Besides standard fruit and vegetable dishes, certain varieties of beets are sometimes used as a garnish to a tart.{{cite book |last1=Ko |first1=Lauren |title=Pieometry : modern tart art and pie design for the eye and the palate |date=2020 |location=New York, NY |isbn=9780062911230 |edition=First}}

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 minced meat.{{cite news |title=Historien om biff à la Lindström |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/matdryck/a/VRaJbp/historien-om-biff-a-la-lindstrom |access-date=21 September 2020 |publisher=Aftonbladet |language=sv}}{{cite web |title=Lindströmin pihvit ja lihapullat ovat koko kansan klassikoita |url=https://kotiliesi.fi/ruoka/lindstromin-pihvit-lihapullat-kansan-klassikoita/ |website=Kotiliesi.fi |date=24 September 2011 |access-date=21 September 2020 |language=fi}}{{cite web |title=Biff à la Lindström—beef patties with debated origins |url=http://swedishspoon.com/lindstrom/ |website=Swedish Spoon |date=5 November 2019 |access-date=21 September 2020}}

In Northern Germany, beetroot is mashed with Labskaus or added as its side order.[http://www.spiegel.de/reise/deutschland/0,1518,712521,00.html SPIEGEL Online on Labskaus in Hamburg] (German), Der Spiegel[https://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/kochen/rezepte/rezeptdb6_id-11326_broadcast-1514_station-ndrtv.html Labskaus mit Rote-Bete-Salat] (German), recipe at NDR

A large proportion of commercial production is processed into boiled and sterilized beetroot or pickles.

Betanin, obtained from the roots, is used industrially as red food colorant to enhance the color and flavor of tomato paste, sauces, desserts, jams and jellies, ice cream, candy, and breakfast cereals. When beetroot juice is used, it is most stable in foods with low water content, such as frozen novelties and fruit fillings.{{cite book|last=Francis|first=F.J.|url=https://archive.org/details/colorants0000fran|title=Colorants|publisher=Egan Press|year=1999|isbn=978-1-891127-00-7|url-access=registration}}

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

Raw beetroot is 88% water, 10% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat (see table). In a {{convert|100|g|oz|frac=2|abbr=off|adj=on}} amount providing {{convert|43|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} of food energy, raw beetroot is a rich source (27% of the Daily Value (DV)) of folate and a moderate source (16% DV) of manganese, with other nutrients having insignificant content (table).{{cite web|url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169145/nutrients |title=Nutrient data for beetroot, raw per 100 g |date=2016 |publisher= United States Department of Agriculture, National Nutrient Database, release SR-28|access-date=20 March 2017}}

A clinical trial review reported that consumption of beetroot juice modestly reduced systolic blood pressure but not diastolic blood pressure.{{Cite journal | last1 = Siervo | first1 = M | last2 = Lara | first2 = J | last3 = Ogbonmwan | first3 = I | last4 = Mathers | first4 = JC | title = Inorganic Nitrate and Beetroot Juice Supplementation Reduces Blood Pressure in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | doi = 10.3945/jn.112.170233 | journal = Journal of Nutrition |volume = 143 |issue = 6 |pages = 818–26 |year = 2013 |pmid = 23596162 |doi-access = free }}

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.{{Cite journal | pmid = 15964200| year = 2005| last1 = Frank| first1 = T| title = Urinary pharmacokinetics of betalains following consumption of red beet juice in healthy humans| journal = Pharmacological Research| volume = 52| issue = 4| pages = 290–7| last2 = Stintzing| first2 = F. C.| last3 = Carle| first3 = R| last4 = Bitsch| first4 = I| last5 = Quaas| first5 = D| last6 = Strass| first6 = G| last7 = Bitsch| first7 = R| last8 = Netzel| first8 = M|display-authors=3| doi = 10.1016/j.phrs.2005.04.005}}

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).{{Cite web |url=http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urine-color/basics/causes/con-20032831 |title=Urine color |publisher=Mayo Clinic, Patient Care and Health Information, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research |date=2016|access-date=27 December 2016}}

Nitrosamine formation in beetroot juice can reliably be prevented by adding ascorbic acid.{{cite journal | vauthors = Kolb E, Haug M, Janzowski C, Vetter A, Eisenbrand G |display-authors=3| title = Potential nitrosamine formation and its prevention during biological denitrification of red beet juice | journal = Food and Chemical Toxicology | volume = 35 | issue = 2 | pages = 219–24 | year = 1997 | pmid = 9146735 | doi = 10.1016/s0278-6915(96)00099-3}}

Below is a list of several commonly available cultivars 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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• 'Action', gained the RHS's Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1993.{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-fruit-and-vegetables.pdf |title=AGM Plants © RHS – CROPS BEETROOT |author= |date=November 2018 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805203509/https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-fruit-and-vegetables.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}
• 'Albino', heirloom (white root)
• 'Alto', AGM, 2005.
• 'Bettollo', AGM, 2016.
• 'Boltardy', AGM, 1993.
• 'Bona', AGM, 2016.
• 'Boro', AGM, 2005.
• 'Bull's Blood', heirloom{{cite web|url = http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Baby_Bulls_Blood_Beets_4565.php | title = Baby Bulls Blood Beets Information | access-date = 19 March 2018}}
• 'Cheltenham Green Top', AGM, 1993.
• 'Chioggia,' heirloom (distinct red and white zoned root){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2uAnbybOEOkC&q=beetroot+varieties&pg=PT223|title=Growing Your Own Fruit and Veg For Dummies|last=Stebbings|first=Geoff|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2010|isbn=9781119992233|language=en|access-date=31 July 2018|via=Google Books}}
• 'Crosby's Egyptian,' heirloom
• 'Cylindra' / 'Formanova,' heirloom (elongated root)
• 'Detroit Dark Red Medium Top,' heirloom
• 'Early Wonder', heirloom
• 'Forono', AGM, 1993.
• 'Golden Beet' / 'Burpee's Golden', heirloom (yellow root)
• 'MacGregor's Favorite', an heirloom carrot-shaped beetroot
• 'Pablo', AGM, 1993.
• 'Perfected Detroit', 1934 AAS winner{{cite web|url = http://all-americaselections.org/product/beet-perfected-detroit | title = AAS Beet Perfected Detroit | date = June 2016 | access-date = 20 August 2017}}
• 'Red Ace', hybrid, AGM, 2001.
• 'Rubidus', AGM, 2005.
• 'Ruby Queen', 1957 AAS winner{{cite web|url = http://all-americaselections.org/product/beet-ruby-queen | title = AAS Beet Ruby Queen | date = 17 August 2016 | access-date = 20 August 2017}}
• 'Solo', AGM, 2005.
• 'Touchstone Gold', (yellow root)
• 'Wodan', AGM, 1993.

}}

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

{{Reflist}}

{{Cookbook|Beet}}

• {{commons category-inline|Beetroot}}

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Category:Beta (plant)

Category:Leaf vegetables

Category:Root vegetables