Beetroot
Beetroot, also known in North America as the
table beet,
garden beet,
red or golden beet, or informally simply as the beet, refers to any of the cultivated varieties of beet grown for their edible taproots. They are among the most commonly encountered varieties in North America, Central America, and Europe.
Culinary Use of Beets
Almost all varieties of beet are used widely in culinary world. The most commonly used form of beets is beetroot that is cooked as a vegetable, either boiled or stir-fried. It can also be eaten as a salad vegetable by adding vinegar and oil dressing. Pickled beets are highly popular in many cuisines. Beetroot is also cooked as a delicacy by adding little butter and seasoning.
Spinach beet is often eaten as a green leafy vegetable. Usually, the younger leaves are steamed and eaten as it is where as older leaves are stir-fried and incorporated in many beet dishes. Beets recipes also include a wide range of cold and hot soups and stews. Many cuisines incorporate beets in their traditional meals.
Jams,
jellies ( also
see ),
sauces, condiments and ice creams are some of the widely-accepted beet recipes across the world. Beet juices are considered healthy drinks and are also used to produce wine.
Popular Beet Recipes
1.
Red beet eggs – It is one of the most popular beet recipes in Dutch cuisine. The liquid remaining after pickling the beets is used to
marinate the hard boiled
eggs.
2.
Cold borscht – It is also called cold beet soup. It is a traditional dish in Northern Europe.
3.
Pickled beet – In this dish, beets are pickled in vinegar and other ingredients. It is one of the most popular traditional beet recipes served in South America.
4.
Fresh beet salad – Swiss chard and fresh beets are basically required to make this delectable dish. Beet dishes served as salads sometimes use steamed
spinach beet as well.
Cuisines Commonly Making Beet Dishes
European cuisine is considered one of the top cuisines for several delectable healthy beet recipes. In European cuisine, garden beet is commonly used to make salads and pickles. Spinach beet leaves and Swiss chard are often steamed or boiled to be eaten as a whole. Beet root soup is quite famous in the cuisine.
Pickled beets are widely eaten in American cuisine. It is also considered a traditional dish of South America. Hamburger with pickled beets is a common food served in Australia and New Zeeland.
Jewish and Dutch cuisines are also famous for making traditional beet recipes. Rosh Hashana, the traditional festival of Jews, includes beet as one of the traditional foods.
Health Benefits of beetroot:
Beetroot is an excellent source of folate and a good source of manganese, and contains betaines which may function to reduce the concentration of homocysteine, a homolog of the naturally occurring amino acid cysteine. High circulating levels of homocysteine may be harmful to blood vessels and thus contribute to the development of heart disease, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease. This hypothesis is controversial as it has not been established yet whether homocysteine itself is harmful, or whether it is just an indicator of increased risk for heart disease.
Read More at Wikipedia.
Recipes using Beetroot see Here and Here.
