Beet is an edible plant.
Beetroot is a concept that comes from the Italian language, although its etymological origin is more distant. The notion allows us to name a plant whose root is edible and which, according to most experts, comes from the south of the European continent, probably from Italy.
Also known as beet and beet (its scientific name is Beta vulgaris ), beet is part of the Chenopodiaceae group and the Amarantaceae family. This herbaceous plant has a thick stem that can be two meters high, large oval leaves and small greenish flowers .
Beet originates from Beta maritima L. , a wild species that grows in various maritime areas in the north of the African continent and southern Europe , in complete freedom. It is worth mentioning that this is not edible, although humans have used it for medicinal purposes , something it does have in common with the beet that we all know.
Beet consumption
Its use as food by our species takes us back to ancient times, and at that time not only the root was eaten, but also its leaves, which have a flavor that is similar to that of spinach (in France , still today today they consume beet leaves). Since the beginning of the 19th century , its use in the culinary field decreased, as people began to use it to extract alcohol and to obtain table sugar (also known as sucrose ).
The root is usually consumed cooked as part of salads . It is usually combined with onion, potato and hard-boiled egg, among other ingredients. You can also make beet juice or use it as a garnish .
It is common for beets to be consumed in salads.
Benefits of its consumption
Beets are a highly appreciated food as they contain iron , potassium , vitamin B and vitamin C , among other nutrients. It can contribute to the treatment of anemia and be used as a laxative .
Beet juice, in fact, is recommended to control hypertension (since it helps reduce blood pressure ) and improve circulation (makes it harder for clots to appear). However, the level of oxalates it contains means that excessive consumption can promote the formation of kidney stones.
The list of its benefits continues, and it can also be used in the treatment of cancer, thanks to being a food rich in flavonoids , substances that help plants protect themselves from the sun's rays and carry out the dispersion of seeds. but they provide us with various properties, since they are antioxidants, strengthen hair, protect the stomach and liver, promote good blood circulation, are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
Due to the presence of betanin , on the other hand, beet is also used as a natural colorant . This substance can even stain the urine and fecal matter of those who eat beets.
Beet varieties
The so-called sugar beet , a variety of this plant, allows the production of sugar . France , the United States , Germany and Russia are among the world's leading producers of this type of sugar.
Other beet varieties that stand out are white (also called elongated ) and red . Both have a high sugar content, which is much easier to assimilate than that from cane, and they are also rich in starch. Its leaves can be used as a vegetable and, as mentioned above, its roots are also perfectly edible . A clear difference between the two, as far as the use that humans give them is concerned, is that the red one is preferred for cooking, since it is considered tastier , while the white one is usually used mainly for the production of sugar. and the feeding of livestock.