sativus) is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist,[2][3][4] all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and Southwestern Asia.The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that world production of carrots and turnips (these plants are combined by the FAO) for 2018 was 40 million tonnes, with 45% of the world total grown in China.The word is first recorded in English circa 1530 and was borrowed from Middle French carotte,[6] itself from Late Latin carōta, from ancient Greek καρωτόν karōtón), originally from the Proto-Indo-European root *ker- ('horn'), due to its horn-like shape.In Old English, carrots (typically white at the time) were not clearly distinguished from parsnips: the two were collectively called moru or more (from Proto-Indo-European *mork- 'edible root', cf.Both written history and molecular genetic studies indicate that the domestic carrot has a single origin in Central Asia.A naturally occurring subspecies of the wild carrot was presumably bred selectively over the centuries to reduce bitterness, increase sweetness and minimise the woody core; this process produced the familiar garden vegetable.Carrot seeds have been found in Switzerland and Southern Germany dating back to 2000–3000 BC.[10] Some close relatives of the carrot are still grown for their leaves and seeds, such as parsley, cilantro, coriander, fennel, anise, dill and cumin.The plant is depicted and described in the Eastern Roman Juliana Anicia Codex, a 6th-century AD Constantinopolitan copy of the Greek physician Dioscorides' 1st-century pharmacopoeia of herbs and medicines, De Materia Medica.Three different types[clarification needed] of carrots are depicted, and the text states that "the root can be cooked and eaten".[15] Another copy of this work, Codex Neapolitanes from late 6th or early 7th century, has basically the same illustrations but with roots in purple.[11] The 11th-century Jewish scholar Simeon Seth describes both red and yellow carrots,[19] as does the 12th-century Arab-Andalusian agriculturist, Ibn al-'Awwam.Outwardly purple carrots, still orange on the inside, were sold in British stores beginning in 2002.Most of the taproot consists of a pulpy outer cortex (phloem) and an inner core (xylem).Individual flowers are borne on undivided pedicels originating from a common node.Top view of Daucus carota inflorescence, showing umbellets; the central flower is dark red.Individual flowers are small and white, sometimes with a light green or yellow tint.After fertilization and as seeds develop, the outer umbellets of an umbel bend inward causing the umbel shape to change from slightly convex or fairly flat to concave, and when cupped it resembles a bird's nest.Premature separation (shattering) before harvest is undesirable because it can result in seed loss.Mature seeds are flattened on the commissural side that faced the septum of the ovary.The bristly hairs that protrude from some ribs are usually removed by abrasion during milling and cleaning.Polyacetylenes can be found in Apiaceae vegetables like carrots where they show cytotoxic activities.Other compounds such as pyrrolidine (present in the leaves),[33] 6-hydroxymellein,[34] 6-methoxymellein, eugenin, 2,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde (gazarin) or (Z)-3-acetoxy-heptadeca-1,9-diene-4,6-diin-8-ol (falcarindiol 3-acetate) can also be found in carrot.Fertilizer should be applied according to soil type because the crop requires low levels of nitrogen, moderate phosphate and high potash.Rich or rocky soils should be avoided, as these will cause the roots to become hairy and/or misshapen.After sprouting, the crop is eventually thinned to a spacing of 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) and weeded to prevent competition beneath the soil.The most devastating carrot disease is Alternaria leaf blight, which has been known to eradicate entire crops.A bacterial leaf blight caused by Xanthomonas campestris can also be destructive in warm, humid areas.The two main forms of damage are splitting, whereby a longitudinal crack develops during growth that can be a few centimetres to the entire length of the root, and breaking, which occurs postharvest.Factors associated with high levels of splitting include wide plant spacing, early sowing, lengthy growth durations, and genotype.[44] Carrots thrive in the presence of caraway, coriander, chamomile, marigold and Swan River daisy.[38] They can also be good companions for other plants; if left to flower, the carrot, like any umbellifer, attracts predatory wasps that kill many garden pests."Eastern" (a European and American continent reference) carrots were domesticated in Persia (probably in the lands of modern-day Iran and Afghanistan within West Asia) during the 10th century, or possibly earlier.Specimens of the "eastern" carrot that survive to the present day are commonly purple or yellow, and often have branched roots.Although the roots are shorter than other cultivars, they have vigorous foliage and greater girth, being broad in the shoulders and tapering towards a blunt, rounded tip.These have strong foliage and the roots are longer than Chantenay types, and they have a conical shape with a well-defined shoulder, tapering to a point.This cultivar has vigorous foliage, is of high sugar content, and has long and slender roots, tapering to a pointed tip.These have sparse foliage, are cylindrical, short with a more blunt tip than Imperator types, and attain high yields in a range of conditions.[2][3] One particular cultivar lacks the usual orange pigment due to carotene, owing its white colour to a recessive gene for tocopherol (vitamin E), but this cultivar and wild carrots do not provide nutritionally significant amounts of vitamin E.[50].Country (Millions of tonnes) China 18.1 Uzbekistan 2.9 United States 1.6 Russia 1.4 Indonesia 0.7 Kazakhstan 0.6 Japan 0.6 World 41 * carrots and turnips combined.Carrots can be stored for several months in the refrigerator or over winter in a moist, cool place.[55] Alternatively they may be chopped and boiled, fried or steamed, and cooked in soups and stews, as well as baby and pet foods.[56] Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths.[61][62] When used for this purpose, they are harvested young in high-density plantings, before significant root development, and typically used stir-fried, or in salads.In a 2010 study on the prevalence of food allergies in Europe, 3.6 percent of young adults showed some degree of sensitivity to carrots.In India carrots are used in a variety of ways, as salads or as vegetables added to spicy rice or dal dishes.Carrots can also be cut in thin strips and added to rice, can form part of a dish of mixed roast vegetables or can be blended with tamarind to make chutney.Highly excessive consumption over a period of time can result in carotenemia, a yellow-orange discoloration of the skin caused by a build up of carotenoids.Raw carrots are 88% water, 9% carbohydrates, 0.9% protein, 2.8% dietary fiber, 1% ash and 0.2% fat.[72] Carrot dietary fiber comprises mostly cellulose, with smaller proportions of hemicellulose, lignin and starch.The carrot gets its characteristic, bright orange colour from β-carotene, and lesser amounts of α-carotene, γ-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.[73] α- and β-carotenes are partly metabolized into vitamin A,[74][75] providing more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV) per 100 g serving of carrots (right table).[76] This myth was propaganda used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War to explain why their pilots had improved success during night air battles, but was actually used to disguise advances in radar technology and the use of red lights on instrument panels.Nevertheless, the consumption of carrots was advocated in Britain at the time as part of a Dig for Victory campaign.A radio programme called The Kitchen Front encouraged people to grow, store and use carrots in various novel ways, including making carrot jam and Woolton pie, named after the Lord Woolton, the Minister for Food.Simon, Philipp W.; Freeman, Roger E.; Vieira, Jairo V.; Boiteux, Leonardo S.; Briard, Mathilde; Nothnagel, Thomas; Michalik, Barbara; Kwon, Young-Seok (2008)
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