What is beetroot and how does it differ from beets?

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What is beetroot and how does it differ from beets?
What is beetroot and how does it differ from beets?

Video: What is beetroot and how does it differ from beets?

Video: What is beetroot and how does it differ from beets?
Video: Why I love Beetroot - Beetroot Benefits and Beetroot Juice Benefits 2024, December
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Not everyone knows what a beetroot or beetroot is. This is the most common beet, which is one of the most common vegetables in Russia. Both the root crop itself and beet leaves are used for food. Beets are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Buryak it is called in Belarus, Ukraine and some regions of Russia. The vegetable got its name because of the rich brown color, but it is also used in relation to beets of any color.

Beet roots
Beet roots

It is noticed that chard is one of the types of beets, the rhizomes of which are inedible, almost never called beetroot. Most likely, this is due to the fact that it has a not quite familiar appearance and is not perceived by many as beets at all. At first glance, chard looks more like lettuce.

Plant characteristics

Initially, people, not knowing about the taste and useful properties of beets, ate only its top, that is, the leaves. The roots were mostly considered a kind of medicine.

So, what is beet, or beetroot? It is a herbaceous plant with large roots and rather large leaves. Fetushas a sweetish aftertaste and is widely used as a food product, including for the diet table.

beetroot salad
beetroot salad

Due to its many useful properties, beetroot appears as an ingredient in traditional medicine recipes, cosmetology, and is also used in other areas.

Fodder beet is recognized as one of the best crops that are part of the nutrition of cattle. The vegetable is popular among summer residents, as it is unpretentious and does not require complex manipulations for planting and growing. Even with minimal conditions for growth, there is a great chance of a great harvest.

What's the difference

It cannot be said that beetroot has any differences from beets, because it is the same vegetable, only called differently in different regions.

It is noticed that beet instead of beets dominates mainly in the southern regions. There is an opinion that this is a certain variety of beets, but in practice it has not been confirmed.

Many argue that the real beet is a red beet, directly eaten, giving a rich red tint to borscht. Borscht vegetable gives the Ukrainian dish not only a beautiful color, but also a unique taste.

Cooking beets
Cooking beets

However, the term "beetroot" can also be heard in relation to sugar beet and even a fodder variety, and these types of crops come in different colors. It is not difficult to guess that both red and fodder beet, in fact, are just a kind of beet.

Interesting facts

Interesting historicala 1683 fact related to this culture. The Cossacks of Zaporozhye, helping the besieged residents of Vienna, looked for food in local gardens and found beets. The Cossacks fried it with bacon, and then boiled it with other vegetables. This dish was called "brown cabbage soup" and eventually turned into the word "borscht".

That is, borscht is cabbage soup made from beetroot.

Beetroot

Beets eaten are divided into two categories: red and white varieties. The latter is not always in demand among buyers, although the taste is no different from the red variety. The fruits of the white table beet do not grow as large as the red ones.

Table beets
Table beets

The varieties of the latter are represented by a wide range of colors from carmine red to burgundy shades. In some cases, the vegetable may be almost black.

If you cut the red beet across, you can see light or white rings. The shape of the root varies depending on how the variety defines it. It is cylindrical, round, almost flat, conical, elongated and spindle-shaped.

Varieties for summer consumption mainly have round and flattened roots. They sing early and look very attractive to customers.

Summer varieties: Bikorez, Solo, Barguzin, Vodan. Later, or mid-season varieties, are easily distinguished by their elongated shape. Such a beetroot has a highly developed root system. The late variety is best suited for winter storage. Famous are such as Slavyanka, Cylinder, Bonn,Bordeaux 237.

Table beet is eaten both fresh and boiled, stewed, fried. You can cook a wide variety of dishes: soups, desserts, side dishes, salads.

Sugar beet

As a result of the work of breeders, sugar beets appeared. This is one of the most important industrial crops, as it is a raw material for industry. Sugar beets are usually white or yellowish in color and completely unpresentable.

Despite the fact that the culture is not intended for culinary products, some dishes are sometimes sweetened with it. There are even folk recipes for syrup and moonshine made from sugar varieties of vegetables.

Sugar beet
Sugar beet

These beets do not have such a pleasant taste, which is more characteristic of the dining room. The following varieties are common in Russia: Lenora, Alena, Carmelita, Gezina.

Another view

Few people know what a beet (pictured) is a fodder variety. This is a technical crop characterized by large root crops of various shapes and colors. From pure white to vibrant yellow and red fruits.

Average fodder variety fruit reaches 2 kg of weight. The shape may resemble an oval, cone, bag, ball or cylinder. The succulent leaves are ensiled and also used as feed. Beet-fed cows become he althy and prolific, and milk yields increase.

fodder beet
fodder beet

Beets used for animal feed were also selected from table varieties. For this reason, it practically does not differ fromculture for food. But it contains more fiber, protein and solid fibers.

Forage fruits ripen to gigantic sizes, root crops weighing up to 30 kg have been recorded.

Fodder beet, unlike the previous ones, is represented by a wide range of colors and species. There are varieties of pink, bright orange and green shades. Fodder beet grows on the surface of the soil, practically without going deep inside, which greatly simplifies its collection.

Varieties of such beets include: Centaur, Ursus, Record, Kyiv Pink, Brigadier, Lada, Nadezhda, Milana, Starmon.

Conclusion

The second most popular vegetable after the potato has long been one of the indispensable and desirable products. Beet fruits are rich in a huge amount of vital vitamins and minerals.

A significant advantage of beetroot is a wide range of varieties, which makes it possible to choose a vegetable to your taste and plant it in your garden. Beetroot is unpretentious and does not require complex care.

Not to mention the he alth benefits of beets. Magnesium in its composition can prevent the early development of hypertension and atherosclerosis, as well as various nervous disorders.

Beetroot is an excellent product that provides he althy blood formation. No other vegetable can boast such a high content of iodine, which in the composition of the culture has a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland.

Returning to the question of what beet is and how it differs from beets, we can draw a simple conclusion: they are nothingdifferent because they are essentially the same thing. There is no difference, since in any case beetroot was and remains only a designation for beets or its types.

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