Did you know that purple is one of the original colors of the carrot?

I was at Whole Foods and saw the wildest thing, purple carrots. This bunch is called, "Organic Rainbow Carrots" and what that a trip. I've never seen carrots in anything other than an orange color and so it was really interesting to me to learn that carrots actually do come in a variety of colors.

Here's some history on the rainbow colored carrots from the Carrot Museum (oh yes):

"In Roman times carrots were purple or white. By the 10th century purple carrots were grown in Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern Iran. Purple, white and yellow carrots were imported to southern Europe in the 14th century. Black, red and green carrots were also grown. Orange roots, containing the pigment carotene, were not noted until the 16th century in Holland. This only came about thanks to patriotic Dutch growers who bred the vegetable to grow in the colours of the House of Orange."

Fascinating! Here's the inside of the purple carrot. I ate one of these purple carrots because I was dying of curiosity and it tastes just like the orange ones. If there is a taste difference, I couldn't tell. It was kind of fun to nosh on a purple carrot, and I'm curious to try using these rainbow carrots in a salad or pot roast dish.

Comments

[Zandria]

I have never seen purple carrots in MY LIFE! How cool. It makes me want to go out and get some. I love how regular (good, healthy, natural) food that you eat every day can surprise you like this. :)

[Bella]

I actually had purple carrots on Sunday! I love them and prefer their flavor to the traditional orange variety.