Most people are unaware of this surprising fact about carrots, a nutritious vegetable. The statement that 99 percent of people were unaware of this is not hyperbole.
Bright orange carrots are the ones we see the most in our daily lives. Surprisingly, though, carrots were originally purple rather than orange.
Carrots were first cultivated in Afghanistan around 2000 BC, about 4,000 years ago. At that time, carrots were not sweet root vegetables like today, but purple plants used as medicine or spices.
Purple carrots were later spread to the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. They were differentiated into various varieties, such as yellow, white, and red, and each region continued to cultivate them independently.
Around the 17th century, artificial crossbreeding took place in the Netherlands to produce the orange carrot variety we eat most often today. Dutch farmers actively cultivated orange varieties by crossbreeding yellow and red carrots in observance of the Orange royal family’s symbolic color at the time. As the commercial availability of this variety increased, orange carrots became the standard carrot color.
Carrots were originally purple rather than orange. Around 2000 BC, or 4000 years ago, carrots were first grown in Afghanistan. Back then, carrots were purple plants used as spices or medicine, not sweet root vegetables like they are today.
Another vegetable with many health advantages is purple carrots. A natural pigment called anthocyanin, a potent antioxidant in blueberries, purple sweet potatoes, and other foods, gives purple carrots their rich color. The primary component of purple carrots, anthocyanin, is a naturally occurring flavonoid pigment that gives plants their color and has several health benefits for people.
Anthocyanins have antioxidant effects. They shield the body from active oxygen and stop cell aging, promoting healthy skin and delaying aging. They also strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Reducing inflammation and boosting immunity effectively prevents some chronic illnesses.
Additionally, it strengthens the heart. It prevents heart disease by strengthening the inner walls of blood vessels and controlling blood pressure. And that’s not all. It benefits eye health as well. It keeps vision loss at bay and safeguards the retina. Additionally, it shields brain tissue and may help avoid dementia.
Because of these advantages, purple carrots have been gaining attention in recent years due to the superfood craze. In some overseas countries, purple carrots have been cultivated and distributed mainly in organic and special vegetable markets.
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