Carrots - a universal root crop, without which the first, second courses, snacks, and even desserts are not complete. The carrot has earned the full right to be called fruit due to its high sugar content, the level of which can reach 15%. The unique composition and sweetness make this product a favorite ingredient for pickles, medicine, vitamin “charging”, and someone does not mind chewing it raw.
Carrot: is it a vegetable or fruit?
Where did the confusion come from? Undoubtedly, carrots belong to vegetable crops. According to the official botanical classification, all root crops are vegetables, including carrots. Fruits are called juicy fruits that grow on trees and shrubs. To understand the welter, let's delve into the story. The first mention of carrots appears even 4 thousand years ago, and its initial appearance is significantly different from the modern one.
It is believed that the birthplace of the root crop is Afghanistan, where it was used as livestock feed. The first use of the fetus in food dates from the 1st century. AD From Central Asia it spread to Europe since the 10th century, and since the 17th century, after the Dutch breeders raised an improved table variety, it is used as an ingredient in dishes. Now, carrots are one of the most cultivated vegetables in the world, and its sown area is 1,184,000 ha.
The five leaders in fruit growing include China, Russia, USA, Poland, Ukraine. Why did the root crop begin to be called fruit or even a berry? The Convention, adopted in 1991 in the European Union, which officially introduced the fruit to the list of fruits, was baffled by consumers. This was done due to the ban on the manufacture of vegetable jams in Europe, where carrot jam was popular and sold.
Plant description
The root crop belongs to the family of umbrella plants and has a subspecies of wild carrots and cultivated. Cultural include table and feed varieties. The name of the fruit itself comes from the Old Slavonic and is elevated to the verb “light”, due to the sharp taste that the vegetable had in its original form. This plant is biennial, sometimes annual and perennial.
Did you know? The largest carrot in history was managed to grow an American Christopher Qually. In 2017, he broke a world record by digging out a fruit weighing 10.18 kg, one and a half kilograms ahead of the previous record holder.
In the first year, the root crop has fluffy and feathery leaves 50–70 cm high, and the fleshy root crop is white to dark purple in color (depending on the variety). In the second year, small white, yellow or reddish flowers with dioecious elliptical seeds 3-5 mm long appear. The fruit of an elongated conical shape has a point to the end and weight in the range of 30–300 g.
Chemical composition and calorie content
In addition to a striking appearance, the plant has a rich composition of vitamins and minerals, which does not repeat any other fruit. Carrots - the only vegetable on the planet that is a carrier of carotene in such quantities. When ingested, the substance is transformed into Vitamin A, which is responsible for the vision and condition of the skin. The contained vitamin E is responsible for the endocrine system and oxygen consumption by the body's cells.
In addition to them, the root crop contains B vitamins, PP and K vitamins, ascorbic and pantothenic acid, flavonoids, a large amount of sugar. The plant is a source of such important minerals as phosphorus, iron, iodine, copper, potassium and phosphorus. Carrot seeds contain essential oils that are used in food and perfumes.
Important! The composition of proteins, fats and carbohydrates per 100 g of pure product is 1.3 × 0.1 × 6.9, and the calorie content is 32 kcal, which makes the vegetable a dietary product.
They have a number of useful properties:
- wound healing;
- regenerative;
- anti-aging;
- antioxidant;
- antiviral.
The properties of carrots for the body
The composition of the product, unique in its vitamin warehouse, makes it indispensable. However, the concentration of vitamin A, E, beta-carotene, retinol and tocopherol is not always beneficial and there are a number of diseases in which these substances are contraindicated. What is hidden behind the negative effects of carrots, and who should use it, we will examine in more detail.
Benefit
Carrots have a number of positive effects on the body and are included in most diets. Vitamin A reduces eye fatigue, prevents conjunctivitis and combats night blindness. Also, the vitamin has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. Due to the ability to regenerate the skin, with dermatological diseases, orange root vegetables and freshly squeezed juices from it are included in the diet. Phytoncides kill pathogenic bacteria, and fiber improves the gastrointestinal tract.
Important! With a fresh intake of a vegetable, it is combined with sour cream or cream, since milk fats contribute to better absorption of vitamin A.
The acid content helps boost immunity and fight viral diseases. Due to the effect on the overall development of the body and growth, carrots are an essential component in the nutrition of pregnant women. Carrots are prescribed for varicose veins, heart disease, atherosclerosis, eye pathologies, constipation, colds, disruption of the digestive organs. During heat treatment, carrots are better absorbed, so they are consumed both raw and boiled.
Health Benefits of Carrots
Harm and contraindications
The negative effect of the fetus on the body can be caused by its overdose. Yellowing of the skin and a rash indicate too much carotene in the body, which is not able to process it. The high acidity of the product makes the root crop undesirable for use in diseases of the stomach. Also, the vegetable is contraindicated in case of urolithiasis with large stones (they can clog the channels due to the diuretic effect of the fetus), liver diseases (a weakened organ cannot cope with carotene processing), an allergy to carrot components.
Did you know? Interestingly, carrots are in the TOP 10 of the most grown crops in the world, and the rate of its sowing since 2014 exceeded the growth rate of the planet's population.
The optimal dose for an adult is 250-300 g of vegetables per day, which corresponds to 2-3 carrots. It is enough for children to reduce the amount to 1 fetus per day.
Application features
Due to its unique taste and chemical properties, carrots have long been used in various fields.
Its use is popular in the following areas:
- In cooking. The sweetish taste of carrots perfectly complements many dishes, and the spicy smell can be heard "from the doorway." Vegetables are added to the first and second courses, cold and hot appetizers, pastries, pickles, desserts, preserves and tinctures. Carrot juice is often combined with apple, pumpkin or cream for better digestion.
- In medicine. Vegetable extracts are used for the production of daucarin, drugs for angina pectoris and the above diseases. The fetus is the main component of many diets (for example, with diabetes, for weight loss) and is popular in folk medicine.
- In perfumery and aromatherapy. Essential oils obtained from root seeds have a piquant aroma with notes of freshness and greenery. Due to the calming effect, they are part of pure carrot oils and are able to relieve stress and anxiety.
- In cosmetology. The deep skin effect and anti-aging effect make the vegetable one of the favorite ingredients among cosmetics manufacturers. Essential oils and carrot juice extracts are part of creams, lotions, tonics and masks. The root crop is used for cooking and "natural" masks in raw grated form (with the addition of sour cream or oil).
Growing rules
In order for the vegetable to bring maximum benefits, it must be grown in accordance with the rules of agricultural technology. Carrots need to be fed by the sun, so they select lighted areas for planting according to the rotation order (the best predecessors are sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, eggplant). To get an early harvest, carrots are planted before winter (before the onset of cold weather) or in early spring. For the ripening of juicy and healthy fruits, periodic tillage is required. This is done so that the earth feeds on air and the vegetable receives the necessary amount of oxygen.
The first weeding is carried out before seed growth, because weeds always “make themselves felt”, and their roots have a depressing effect on seedlings. If the growth is too dense, thinning of the rows is carried out, since the close proximity closes the soil from the sun, which leads to the development of rot and growth retardation. A guarantee of the fruit’s sweetness is a sufficient level of moisture, which nourishes the soil and gives the fetus “all the best”. To do this, the land on the bed should not dry out and cover with a crust (carry out timely loosening and deep watering). The basis of the future tasty and healthy vegetable is the presence of vitamins, which the soil receives through medicinal or natural nutrition.
They can be mulch, compost, manure, nitrofoska, wood ash. Top dressing is carried out at the stage of seedling growth and a month after their first appearance. We hope we managed to debunk the myths that carrots belong to fruits, and you figured out the confusion. Whether it is this or that, its presence in the diet will have a beneficial effect on the body, due to the high content of nutrients. However, remember that the healing properties are provoked by the growing environment, so it will bring benefits or harm to the vegetable - it depends on you in many ways.
