#history
Carrots.
Carrots are part of the diet in most countries of the world today.
People love the sweet and crunchy vegetable with its signature orange colour.
However the original carrot, grown more than 5,000 years ago in Persia and Afghanistan, was not orange, but purple, white or yellow.
The root itself was not used for cooking. Carrots were grown for their leaves and seeds which were used for medicinal purposes. The purple coloured carrots were used as a natural dye.
The purple carrots are still grown in Afghanistan. In Punjab a black variety is grown which are used mainly for medicinal purposes.
Different colours of carrots are grown in Canada.
The signature orange colour of the carrot was developed by Dutch farmers in the 17th century, as a tribute to the ruling family, the House of Orange. The sweet and crunchy vegetable was developed by the Dutch which soon became popular in all parts of the world.
– Joy Kallivayalil
