Whatsit Wednesday: Orange carrots

Well, of course orange carrots. This is after all a blog about things Belgian and Dutch. And we all know the Dutch like the color orange. So that must be where orange carrots came from, right? Actually … yes. 

Historically carrots could have been all sorts of colors. There were black carrots, purple carrots and red or yellow carrots. Carrots were not one specific color. The word for this tuber (root vegetable) comes into English in the 16th century  and is originally derived from the Latin carota. Originally carrots were grown for their seeds and such and were not distinguished from a parsnip (which is still used widely in Belgium)

But it was the Dutch growers in Hoorn in the 16th century. There is pictorial evidence that an orange carrot existed under the Romas in the 6th century, but generally carrots were purple or white. The Dutch cultivated the “Long Orange”, which some say was cultivated because of the love of the Dutch for the Dutch flag or for Willem of Orange (the royal family). Others claim that the orange carrot was preferred because the purple ones made soups and such brown. 

These days we can still find purple carrots (which are orange on the inside) and parsnips still exist, but in general all carrots are considered orange. Think of Bugs Bunny - “What’s up, doc?” Carrot soup, carrot bread or cake, carotine that helps your eyes (or does it?) and much more. How do you like your carrots?