The history of one cultivated plant, carrots. History of carrots
Carrots, one of the most important root vegetables, have been cultivated for about 3,000 years. Wild carrots were originally purple in color, native to ancient Afghanistan, but over time, the victim of garden experimentation, they became pale white, red and finally, in the 1700s, thanks to the Danes, bright orange. Over time, orange carrots have taken root more than others, since they do not color other foods in dishes. The orange color comes from carotene, which, among other benefits, makes carrots so durable.
Carrots are the forgotten secret of youth, beauty and longevity. It is valuable for its high content of carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. There are no other vegetables and fruits that contain as much carotene as carrots. Perhaps only sweet pepper can compare with it in this regard. Carrots are also an excellent source of vitamins C, B, D, E. They are rich in minerals and trace elements - potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, manganese. It also contains essential oils, physiologically active substances - sterols, enzymes and other compounds necessary for the body.
It should be remembered that the carotene contained in carrots will be absorbed much better if you season the carrots and salads with vegetable oil. Carrots are a rare exception to the rule - when cooked they contain more useful substances than when raw. As Western experts note, immediately after cooking carrots, the level of antioxidants in them increases by 34% and increases in the first week of storage in boiled form. After a month of storing boiled carrots, they still contain more nutrients than fresh ones. Experts explain this by the fact that when boiled carrots are stored, new chemical compounds with high antioxidant properties are formed.
In therapeutic nutrition, carrots in their natural form or their juice are often used. Carrots have a comprehensive healing effect on the body:
- Carrot juice and grated carrots have a general strengthening effect. They cleanse the blood, remove toxins and harmful substances from the body, normalize metabolism, and increase the activity of all internal organs. Eating carrots is beneficial for vitamin deficiency and anemia.
- Carrots activate intracellular redox processes. Its consumption increases the content of essential antioxidants in the blood, which can strengthen the body's immune system (especially in older people), stimulate the growth of healthy cells and reduce the risk of cancer.
- Largely due to the high content of potassium salts, carrots are useful for diseases of the cardiovascular system, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure. In addition to the carrot itself and its juice, an extract from carrot seeds - daucarin - is also used for atherosclerosis and coronary insufficiency with symptoms of angina pectoris. This drug has a good antispasmodic effect and dilates the blood vessels of the heart.
- Carrot juice is useful for impaired kidney and liver function, helps remove sand and small stones in case of kidney stones and cleanses the liver.
- Carrots also regulate carbohydrate metabolism, improve digestion, eliminate constipation, as well as hemorrhoids.
- Relatively recently, scientists discovered that, due to the high content of phytoncides, carrots are able to influence pathogenic microflora almost as effectively as onions or garlic - recognized leaders in this area.
- Carrots are used for vision disorders, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, stomatitis, and inflammatory processes in the oral cavity. A mixture of carrot juice and honey is used to gargle for sore throat.
- In folk medicine, finely grated carrots and their juice are applied to burns, frostbitten areas of the skin, wounds and ulcers.
Contraindications and possible side effects: Fresh carrots and juice from them should not be consumed for stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastritis with high acidity of gastric juice, colitis, diarrhea, kidney stones - phosphate and carbonate variants.
You will have to give up carrots if you have severe diabetes. Children who are overindulged in carrots may experience fever, vomiting, sweating, skin rashes, and even yellowing of the skin. By the way, in case of diseases of the thyroid gland and liver, carrot carotene is not absorbed. Carrots can be harmful if you have low thyroid function. Carrot juice, as a remedy, should be avoided in case of liver diseases.
Carrots are very beneficial for the body. The beneficial and medicinal properties of carrots are explained by its rich composition.
Chemical composition and nutritional value of carrots
Carrots are a valuable source of natural vitamins. It is especially rich in carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the human body. Carrot varieties with orange-red root vegetables are richest in carotene. Carotene is the main wealth of carrots. It is transformed into vitamin A only in the presence of fats. For this reason, carrot dishes should be consumed with fat. Vitamin A (retinol), which is necessary for vision and bone growth, healthy hair and skin, normal functioning of the immune system, etc. For this reason, carrot juice is indispensable in baby food
Carrots also contain vitamins (groups B, C, E, P, PP, K). It contains 1.3% proteins, 7% carbohydrates. Its root vegetables contain small quantities of pectin substances, biologically essential amino acids, and essential oil, which gives a specific carrot smell. Carrots contain a lot of mineral substances necessary for the human body: phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, cobalt, copper, iodine, zinc, chromium, nickel, fluorine, etc. In terms of the content of the trace element boron, carrots are in first place among other vegetables.
The almost universal cultivation of carrots is explained by the high nutritional value of its root crops. Carrots are especially rich in sugars. The best varieties contain up to 12% sugars. Carrots contain up to (1.7%) fiber.
Medicinal properties of carrots
Carrots enhance intestinal peristalsis, have a laxative effect, and are indicated for pregnant and nursing mothers. Carrot juice increases the body's resistance to colds and is useful for anemia. It is necessary for people with dry skin and poor vision. Carrot juice is used for exacerbation of peptic ulcers, in diets for cholelithiasis, and myocardial infarction. It relieves inflammation in the oral cavity, is used as a general tonic, and is recommended for colds. Carrot juice is included as a component in cosmetic masks.
Carrots do not promote flatulence. Grated carrots are used as a mild laxative and anthelmintic. An infusion or decoction of carrot tops and parsley leaves helps remove sand and stones from the urinary tract.
Carrot seeds are used to make the drug daucarin (a heart remedy), and their infusion is used for kidney stones.
Plan:
- Introduction
- 1Botanical description
- 2History
- 3Etymology
- 4Chemical composition
- 5Application
- 6Classification
Literature
Notes
Introduction
Carrot(lat. Daucus) is a genus of plants in the Umbrella family.
Carrots are a biennial plant (rarely one- or perennial), in the first year of life it forms a rosette of leaves and a root crop, in the second year of life it forms a seed bush and seeds.
Widely distributed, including in Mediterranean countries, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and America (up to 60 species).
The best known is the sowing carrot (cultivated carrot, considered either as an independent species Daucus sativus, or as a subspecies of wild carrot - Daucus carotasubsp. sativus) is a biennial plant with rough, woody, whitish or orange roots. Cultivated carrots are divided into table and fodder. The inflorescence is a 10-15-rayed complex umbrella, the rays are rough-pubescent, spread out during flowering. Flowers with finely toothed calyx and white, reddish or yellowish petals. There is a dark red flower in the center of the umbrella. The fruits are small, elliptical two-seeded seeds 3-4 mm long.
1. Botanical description
Biennial, rarely annual or perennial herbs with repeatedly pinnately dissected leaves.
The root crop is fleshy, truncated-conical, cylindrical or spindle-shaped, weighing from 30-300 g or more.
The cup teeth are inconspicuous, the petals are white, reddish or yellowish, obovate, notched at the top and in the notch with a lobe bent inward, the marginal petals in the umbel are noticeably enlarged.
The fruit is oval or elliptical.
2. History
Supposedly, carrots were first grown in Afghanistan, where most of the different species still grow. Daucus carota. The closest wild species is the wild carrot: cultivated varieties have been developed from it through selective breeding. The shed seeds of garden carrots usually produce plants with an edible branched root that has a bitter, woody flavor.
Initially, carrots were grown not for their roots, but for their aromatic leaves and seeds. The first mention of the use of carrot root as food is found in ancient sources in the 1st century. n. e. Modern carrots were brought to Europe in the 10th-13th centuries; Ibn al-Awam from Andalusia described red and yellow varieties of carrots. The Byzantine physician Simeon the Sith (11th century) mentions the same colors. Carrots are also described in Domostroy, a monument of Russian edifying literature of the 16th century. Orange carrots first appeared in Holland in the 17th century.
3. Etymology
Generic name Daucus comes from the Latinized Greek word δαῦκος, which denoted various umbrella plants.
Carrots
This word is traced back to the verb δαίω (daio) spark off, which is probably due to the acrid taste of the fruit.
4. Chemical composition
Root vegetables (for food) and seeds (for making infusions and extracts) are used. Root vegetables contain carotenoids - carotenes, phytoene, phytofluene and lycopene; vitamins B, B2, pantothenic acid, ascorbic acid; flavonoids, anthocyanidins, sugars (3-15%), fatty and some essential oils, umbelliferone; the seeds contain essential oil, flavone compounds and fatty oil. The flowers contain anthocyanin compounds and flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol).
5. Application
In medicine, carrots are used for hypo- and avitaminosis. Promotes epithelization, activates intracellular redox processes, regulates carbohydrate metabolism, increases the body's immune functions, improves mood, and is a mild laxative.
The seeds are used to obtain medicines, for example, daucarin, which has an antispasmodic effect similar to that of papaverine and kellin, dilates coronary vessels; used for atherosclerosis, coronary insufficiency with symptoms of angina pectoris. Extracts and essential oils for cosmetics and aromatherapy are obtained from the seeds. In folk medicine, wild carrots are used as an anthelmintic and laxative.
6. Classification
6.1. Taxonomy
Genus Carrot belongs to the Umbrella family ( Apiaceae) order Umbelliferae ( Apiales).
| 8 more families (according to the APG II System) | ||||||||||||
| about 60 species | ||||||||||||
| order Umbelliferae | genus Carrot | |||||||||||
| Department Flowering, or Angiosperms | family Umbrella | |||||||||||
| 44 more orders of flowering plants (according to the APG II System) | more than 300 more births | |||||||||||
6.2. Kinds
The genus contains about 60 species. Some of them:
|
|
Literature
- Galeev N. A. Industrial cultivation of carrots. - Ufa: Bashk. book publishing house, 1985. - 136 p.
- Markov V. M. Vegetable growing. - M., 1966.
Notes
- The name Angiosperms is also used.
- For the conventions of classifying the group of plants described in this article as dicotyledons, see the “APG Systems” section of the “Dicotyledons” article.
- In accordance with EU directive “Council Directive 2001/113/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée intended for human consumption”— eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32001L0113:EN:HTML carrots are both a fruit and a vegetable, which allows, for example, Portugal to legally produce and export carrot jam, which, according to the rules European Union, can only be produced from fruits.
- Oxford Companion to Food; Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece, Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0-415-11620-1, p. 182; Andrew Dalby, Food in the Ancient World from A-Z, 2003, ISBN 0-415-23259-7, p. 75
- Frisk H. Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Band I. - Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung. - 1960. - P. 352.
- Botanical-pharmacognostic dictionary: Reference. manual - herba.msu.ru/shipunov/school/books/botaniko-farmakognost_slovar1990.djvu / K. F. Blinova, N. A. Borisova, G. B. Gortinsky and others; Ed. K. F. Blinova, G. P. Yakovleva. - M.: Higher. school, 1990. - P. 212. - ISBN 5-06000085-0
- According to the GRIN website (see Links section).
Multicolored carrots
Carrot color - warm and bright tone
Carrot color is one of the orange shades. It is often compared to coral and tangerine tones. The carrot color mostly matches the classic orange. Its distinctive feature is an increase in red and a decrease in yellow tones.
So how does it affect people, what shades does it combine with? How is it used in clothing? Who is it suitable for? How to wear it?
Carrot color: general meaning
So, more details. Carrot color is one of several shades available in nature. It is distinguished by brightness and warmth. Carrots are not just a healthy product that is included in a wide variety of dishes. This vegetable can make them “more fun” and more appetizing. That’s why even those who don’t really like carrots look understandingly at the presence of carrots in a dish.
Combinations
Carrot color is found in the surrounding world, of course, in combination with other tones. Which of them harmonizes best?
Primarily with the color of rosewood. The advantage of this combination is the contrast in brightness. Rosewood is a deep lilac shade close to red-brown. It is red that brings these two colors together. The rose tree can favorably emphasize the main advantages of the carrot tree. At the same time, it itself goes into the shadows. However, due to its brightness, it does not allow the orange tint to completely absorb everything.
Carrot also goes well with a gray-hyacinth tone. It's all about contrast, not only in brightness, but also in color temperature. Blue shades are the coldest in relation to hot orange. Therefore, each color in such a neighborhood looks much more expressive. The brightness contrast in this case works exactly the same as in combination with pink wood. A great addition in this case is pale yellow or black-brown.
Many people, tired of dull and dull colors, try to surround themselves with various bright things. Carrot color allows you to change this very dullness. Paired with blue and brown tones, it looks very impressive.
Video on the topic
Popularity
The bright carrot color is especially loved in the East. It symbolizes fire, spices, fruits and the sun. Carrot-colored clothing is associated with vitality, self-control, joy, and sexuality. It unites representatives of opposite sexes, thereby talking about fertility. In France, brides even decorate their heads with wreaths of orange flowers. It is believed that this contributes to the speedy replenishment of the family.
The carrot color also plays a protective role. It allows you to achieve enlightenment and glory, develops intuition. Although in some cases it is also interpreted as the color of people prone to pride, complacency, immaturity, laziness and selfishness.
In clothes
The presence of carrot color in a person’s wardrobe speaks primarily of his activity, love of life and unconventional thinking. However, you need to be quite careful with it, since it is not suitable for everyone. The most daring experiments are the choice of women with the “autumn” color type. They need to stick to the reddish shades of this color. However, it all depends on the right combinations.
This shade of bright orange looks best in summer and autumn looks. For example, this could be a summer or demi-season coat, complemented by white tight trousers, a blouse, silver sneakers or ankle boots. In spring, outerwear can be replaced with a vest, and white trousers with brown ones. Carrot color harmonizes perfectly with cream, white and black things. The tunic can be combined with blue denim pants, shorts or a skirt. A fitted carrot-colored dress is suitable for an evening wardrobe. You can complement it with black or silver accessories and a pearl thread.
Hit of the warm season
So, in the sunny season, the juicy, bright and appetizing carrot color is especially popular. Photos in the summer issues of fashion magazines indicate this fact first of all. The shade induces a state of well-being and joy in a person; in case of depression, it lifts the mood and gives energy. In a word, it helps you get into an active and cheerful state.
Carrot color looks good in a variety of wardrobe items. Of course, this shade is not suitable for everyday wear. It can evoke a huge amount of too strong emotions, and in some situations they should be avoided. It is best to use such things during training, romantic dates, banquets, clubs, etc.
By the way, carrot color also looks great in the interior. It is suitable for almost any room, with the exception of offices. Just don’t forget that the bright carrot color narrows the space of the room a little. Combined with pale pink wood that pushes back the walls, the room will seem a little more voluminous.
In a word, carrot color is a warm and pleasant tone. It has many advantages. And if you use it correctly, it will give you considerable pleasure.
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History of carrots
Orange carrots appeared in England during the time of Elizabeth I. After some time, this crop became one of the most consumed vegetables. Society ladies made accessories from it to decorate their hats and dresses.
In Russia Carrots have been grown since time immemorial. The ancient Slavs brought carrots as a gift to the deceased. Carrots were placed in the boat with the deceased, then the boat was set on fire. It was believed that carrots would serve as food for the deceased in the next world. Mention of carrots is found in many ancient Russian monuments, for example in Domostroy. Not only in villages there were vegetable gardens where carrots were grown. Such plantings also existed in Moscow itself.
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Tags: for schoolchildren about vegetables, carrots, the history of the appearance of vegetables, the history of carrots
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Where and when did carrots appear?
History of carrots
The birthplace of carrots is Afghanistan. In ancient times, the color of carrots was very diverse: red, white, purple, yellow. In Ancient Greece and Rome, carrots were held in high esteem. The Greeks gave it the name "carrying love", believing that it softens human hearts and teaches people to be loving and patient.
In India, Japan and China, carrots have been cultivated as a garden plant since the 13th century. The orange carrot we are used to appeared only in the 16th century. thanks to the efforts of Dutch breeders, who developed a new species in honor of the Dutch royal family.
Orange carrots appeared in England during the time of Elizabeth I.
Cultivated plant carrot
After some time, this crop became one of the most consumed vegetables. Society ladies made accessories from it to decorate their hats and dresses.
Carrots were brought to North America in 1607, and in 1814, Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who was fond of plant breeding, developed 18 varieties of carrots.
❧ In medieval Germany there was a belief according to which a bowl of steamed carrots should be taken to the forest. Allegedly, gnomes loved this dish very much and instead of carrots they left an ingot of gold.
❧ At the excavation site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists discovered images of bunches of carrots on the walls of houses. And in ancient buildings near Bern in Switzerland, fossilized remains of carrots were found; it is assumed that they lay there for about 3-4 thousand years.
In Russia Carrots have been grown since time immemorial. The ancient Slavs brought carrots as a gift to the deceased. Carrots were placed in the boat with the deceased, then the boat was set on fire. It was believed that carrots would serve as food for the deceased in the next world. Mention of carrots is found in many ancient Russian monuments, for example in Domostroy. Not only in villages there were vegetable gardens where carrots were grown. Such plantings also existed in Moscow itself. Foreign guests wrote that there are many carrot gardens around the capital.
Currently, China is the largest producer of carrots, Russia is in second place, and the United States is in third place.
Useful properties of carrots
Carrots have long become one of the favorite vegetables on our table. It has very few calories, but it brings significant benefits to the human body. Carrots are 87% water. The orange color of this vegetable is given by the enzyme beta-carotene, which is processed in our body and converted into vitamin A, which is extremely beneficial for vision.
For better absorption of vitamin A, it is recommended to consume fresh grated carrots, adding sour cream or vegetable oil to it. Carrots also increase milk supply in nursing mothers, which is why they need it. Carrots also help with digestion.
Carrots are one of the most important root vegetables for humans, grown in temperate climates. The vegetable cultivated today was derived from wild varieties whose roots were anything but orange. As scientists' research shows, carrots were originally purple or yellow.
It is difficult to judge the origin and evolutionary paths of the existing 80 species of cultivated carrots today. But archaeologists discover carrot seeds during excavations along the entire Mediterranean coast, in North Africa, in the Asian region and European countries with a temperate climate.
Wild species, most likely, were initially a source of greenery rather than juicy root vegetables for humans. Perhaps carrots were also used as...
At the same time, in Iran and Europe, cultural layers where evidence of carrot growth is found are about 5 thousand years old. Fossil pollen from plants of the Apiaceae family, dating back to the Eocene period, is between 55 and 34 million years old, which indicates the antiquity of the genus.
Ancestors of modern carrot varieties
Today, the existence of two original types of cultivated carrots has been confirmed. Eastern or Asian carrots historically have a purple color due to the anthocyanin pigment. And in some, the color is so intense that they began to talk about black carrots.
The pinnate leaves of the eastern type have a silvery tint and are noticeably pubescent. Such carrots are most widespread in Afghanistan, in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains, and in Iran, India and some regions of Russia. In these same areas, yellow carrots are also found, which in the wild are tougher than dark-colored ones and have a pronounced pungent taste.
The beginning of cultural cultivation of purple carrots probably occurred in the 10th century. Three centuries later, purple root vegetables appeared in the Mediterranean, and a little later they began to be grown in China and Japan. Eastern yellow and purple carrots are still grown in Asia today, used to make strong alcoholic drinks, but in popularity and distribution they are inferior to Western varieties with orange roots.
Modern Western carrots are colored by carotene, so the roots can be red, orange, yellow or almost white.
Most likely, such varieties were the result of hybridization and crossing of oriental-type plants with wild subspecies of Mediterranean yellow carrots. The root vegetables consumed by Europeans until the 17th century were thin, highly branched and not at all juicy.
History of carrots in ancient times
Archaeologically verified evidence of the consumption of wild carrots has been found at early human sites in Switzerland.
Temple paintings in Luxor, Egypt, dating back to the second millennium BC, depict purple root vegetables. And papyri found in one of the pharaoh’s burials speak of treatment with carrot seeds or a plant similar to it. But neither archaeologists nor paleobotanists have yet been able to confirm Egyptologists’ assumptions about the distribution of purple carrots in the Nile Valley. The ancient Egyptians may have been familiar with other members of the Apiaceae family, such as anise or coriander.
Fossilized carrot seeds, at least five thousand years old, have been discovered in the highlands of Iran and Afghanistan.
Many varieties in a variety of colors have been found in Asia, and there is evidence of the use of wild carrots during the Hellenic period in Greece. Carrot seeds and their rhizomes were mainly used for medicinal purposes. For example, in the Ardennes during ancient Rome, carrots served as an aphrodisiac, and the Pontic king Mithridates VI believed that carrots could neutralize poisons.
Dioscorides, who served as a doctor in the Roman army, described and sketched more than 600 species of medicinal plants during his campaigns in his work De Materia Medica. The Byzantine edition of the work, dating back to 512, shows the reader the appearance of an orange carrot.
Documented history of carrots and their introduction into culture
The White Carrot Mystery and Classification Issues
In ancient Rome and Greece, carrots were called differently, leading to conflicting interpretations. In particular, the name Pastinaca could hide almost white carrots and the light root vegetables of the extremely popular parsnip at that time.
Galen suggested giving the carrot the name Daucus, separating it from related species. This happened in the second century of the new era. In those same years, the Roman scientist Athenaeus proposed the name Carota, and the root vegetable is also named in the cookbook of Apicius Czclius, dating back to 230.
However, with the fall of Rome, mentions of carrots completely disappear from European written sources. And confusion in identifying plants that were close in species and relatedness continued until the Middle Ages, until purple and yellow root crops were again brought to Europe from Asia.
Charlemagne issued a decree on the full reverence of carrots and recognition of them as the most valuable plant, and thanks to their openwork leaves and umbrella inflorescences, carrots became known in history as “Queen Anne’s lace.”
Today, the names of all varieties, from white root vegetables to black carrots, are subject to the classification Linnaeus developed in 1753.
Beginning of carrot breeding
Purposeful selection of the species began relatively recently. The description of the first cultivated variety dates back to 1721 and was written by Dutch botanists. It turned out to be easy to force carrots to produce sweeter and larger rhizomes. In order for the root crop to become noticeably straighter, sweeter and juicier, the plant only needed good care and cultivation of several generations in favorable conditions.
Historians were surprised that less than three centuries passed from the appearance of yellow and red carrots in the Netherlands to their spread as a vegetable species, as if the plant itself wanted to be cultivated.
The most famous varieties, Nantes and Chantanay, mankind owes to the ascetic French gardener Louis de Vilmorin, who in the 19th century laid the foundations of modern plant growing and in 1856 published a description of the varieties that are still in demand today.
Formation of carrot color
Oriental yellow varieties became the basis for obtaining both orange and white carrots. This conclusion, after analyzing the gene pool of plants, was made by geneticists quite recently, but both yellow and red carrots continue to be cultivated in the world. And a variety of purple carrots with a particularly intense dark color is called black. So what is the reason for such a variety of colors?
The color of the carrot root is the result of the action of various pigments related to carotenoids.
During the selection process, carrots became larger and juicier. It has lost some essential oils, but has acquired other health benefits, depending on both the color and its intensity.
A tricky way to produce carrots - video
Carrots are one of the most popular, healthy and delicious vegetables. I eat it or use it in folk and traditional medicine. It contains few calories, but nevertheless it is very healthy. It consists of 87% water. It also contains carotene, which is processed in the body into vitamin A. Carrots are grown in regions with a temperate climate. We got it thanks to wild varieties, whose fruits were not orange at all. Scientists say that carrots used to be purple or yellow.
History of carrots
In addition to the beneficial substances it contains, carrots are also famous for their interesting history. Evidence of eating carrots was found in Switzerland, where ancient man lived.
In the drawings of the temple in Luxor back in the 2nd millennium BC. We found purple carrots. And in the place where Pharaoh was buried, they found papers in which they write about treatment with carrots. Scientists claim that the first carrots appeared in Afghanistan, where they were of other colors.
Carrots were also produced in Ancient Greece, but they called them “the bearer of love” and believed that they helped a person to be kind and loving.
Hippocrates once argued that women need to eat a lot of carrots so as not to get pregnant. Nowadays, scientists decided to test this guess and found that women, eating carrots after making love, prevent conception.
China, Japan, and India have been engaged in this culture since the 13th century. In the 16th century they began to produce the already familiar orange carrots, which appeared thanks to Dutch producers.
In England, this culture became known parallel to the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I. Nowadays, carrots are considered one of the most common and consumed vegetables. In 1814, 18 of its varieties were already known, which were created by Thomas Jefferson.
- in the 17th century, the British used carrots not only for culinary and medicinal purposes, but also for decorative purposes: girls used them to decorate their hats
- carrots are in second place in popularity after potatoes
- orange carrots were bred for the Royal Family because it was their favorite color
- For the first time, carotene was extracted from carrots, and from it came the name “carrot” that we know, which in Latin sounds like “carota”
- carrots are healthy raw, boiled, fried
- Excessive consumption of this vegetable provokes yellowing of the skin. This is used to preserve the natural red color of animals.
- there is a story that during World War II, representatives of England covered up the development of their night fighters by talking about a carrot diet, which improves their eyesight and allows them to see well at night
- In the USA, every year they organize a festival in honor of carrots, where they choose the queen of carrots
- You can also eat carrot tops. It is no less useful than root vegetables
- The longest carrot in the world is about 6 m long, created by a British farmer
- The largest weight of one carrot was recorded - 8.5 kg, grown in Alaska
- In Europe, carrots are mistaken for a fruit because they make sweets from them.
- carrots can clean enamel and prevent diseases of teeth and gums
- the vegetable is useful for pregnant women, but in small quantities (about 100 g per day)
- in Germany they prepare aromatic and invigorating coffee from carrots
- carrot sauce is considered a delicacy
- Carrots are often used together with honey as a medicine for diseases.
- Smokers are not recommended to eat carrots, because... the combination of nicotine and carrot substances in the body can cause lung cancer; for non-smokers – on the contrary – prevents tumors and lung cancer
