Looking for something new to jazz up your dinner table? Look no further than the beetroot, a wonderful root vegetable that is well-known for its bright color and earthy taste.

The beetroot is known by several names: table beet, garden beet, and red beet. Mostly, people just refer to this vegetable as “beet.” One can eat the roots of the beetroot and the leafy tops as well. Beetroot is also eaten raw. Just peel it and eat away! The root portion of this vegetable may be boiled. The leafy upper portion can be cooked like spinach. Beetroot is probably best known for being cooked up and then served as a cold salad with a vinegar base. Beetroot is often grated and mixed with other vegetables.

Another popular dish using beetroot is borscht, a European soup that is also served cold. This tasty soup makes a lovely meal on a hot summer night with a loaf of crusty bread.

Most people recognize beetroot as a purple vegetable with a soft texture in a can. Perhaps this is due to the cuisine of the American South, which has served pickled beets for generations. Unfortunately, pickled beets are a turnoff for a lot of individuals, probably because of the sharp vinegar taste. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t like beetroot. It just means you’ve not sampled them in other dishes!

Beetroot for Your Health

Beetroot is a very healthy food to eat. It is jam-packed with potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure as well as magnesium and lots of micro-nutrients that are needed to maintain good cell health. Because it contains a lot of folate, it is a perfect food for the pregnant woman. Beetroot also fights fatigue. In addition, beetroot contains a nutrient called betaine, which is critical to the cardiovascular system.

Another benefit of beetroot is its high fiber content. So, if your inner plumbing is a little sluggish, this is a great food for you to eat to ensure regularity. Like most vegetables, beetroot contains few calories and no fat, making it a good addition to your diet.

Beetroot has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties. The Romans used it to treat both constipation and fever. The Romans also widely believed that beetroot was an aphrodisiac and drank its juice to enhance pleasure in the bedroom.

Colorful Vegetables

People can spot beetroot from a mile away due to its bright red or purple color. That fantastic color has been used for other things instead of food – like in dye. Betanins, a component within beetroot is used to color all sorts of food products like cereals, ice cream, and tomato paste. For this very same reason, the Pennsylvania Dutch use beet juice as both a coloring and a flavor for their pickled hard boiled eggs.

Here’s a funny tidbit about beetroot. Because of its bright color, some people may find that their urine turns the same color due to the vegetable’s pigment. This condition, known as beeturia, is not harmful, and goes away once a person has refrained from eating beetroot.

Although it’s assumed that beetroot only comes in one basic color – reddish purple – the truth is that this vegetable actually can be several different colors. White and orange colored beets are just as tasty, but they might be harder to find than the more traditional purple ones. For a bit of variety to your beet salads and other dishes, search for orange and white beets at a supermarket that specializes in organic produce. You should have no trouble finding orange and white beetroot there.

How to Select Beetroot

When choosing beetroot at your supermarket, look for the entire vegetable, leaves and all. Choose beetroot that has crisp leaves – not wilted – and firm roots. Make sure the roots have no blemishes or spots, as that can signal older produce. If possible, choose small beetroot, because these tend to be sweeter than the larger ones. Once home, store beetroot in the crisper area of the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

The saying goes that variety is the spice of life and that is no different in your food. Try something new with grated beetroot in your salad or prepare a beetroot chutney to complement a favorite meat dish. This root vegetable offers vibrant color to please the eyes and delight the palate.