Beetroot is either loved or hated. With its earthy, slightly sweet taste and deep red color, it is definitely a very eye-catching vegetable. At least when you cut into it, its dark red flesh is revealed. Let's clarify the spelling in advance: Is it called Rote Bete or Rote Beete? According to Duden, Rote Bete is correct. Why beetroot is called what it is, and what makes this red tuber so great that it was even named Vegetable of the Year, we'll explain all of that below.
Origin, cultivation, and interesting facts about beetroot
For centuries, this red, round root tuber has been known and cultivated in our latitudes. Beetroot, also known as red beet, rande, rahne, or red turnip, is a root vegetable that can be harvested from the summer months well into autumn. Its name is derived from the Latin word beta, which simply means beet in English. Red beetroot is the most famous, but the root vegetable is also available in other cultivated forms as yellow beet, white beet, or candy cane beet. It presumably originally comes from the Mediterranean region (North Africa), but the exact origins are not known. Its striking, intense red color comes from a high concentration of betanin. In the past, women even dyed their hair with beetroot juice, as the plant juice stains so strongly. That's why chefs today often like to wear gloves when handling the tuber so that the strongly staining plant juice doesn't completely discolor their hands. Here in Germany, it is cultivated as a classic winter vegetable. Its earthy taste is not everyone's cup of tea.
How can beetroot be prepared?
It can be boiled classically in salted water with a little caraway, but it is also very popular as a soup. In Eastern European countries, beetroot is often made into borscht, which is a type of stew. In Northern Germany and Scandinavian countries, beetroot is an essential ingredient of labskaus. It is very versatile: raw as wafer-thinly sliced carpaccio or fermented and preserved in a jar as a durable and pickled vegetable. In the food industry, beetroot dye is an exceptionally popular coloring agent. Due to its strong staining properties, gloves should always be worn during preparation – unless you want to get pinkish-red palms. Light-colored clothing is also not a good idea, as beetroot stains, much like red wine, are very difficult to remove from white or very light clothing.
Nutrients: Is beetroot a superfood?
But back to the original topic: What is so great about beetroot that the Association for the Conservation of Crop Diversity named it Plant of the Year for two whole years, 2023 and 2024? Well, first of all, this special vegetable brings a truly wide variety of notable nutrients to your plate. Here is an excerpt from the many beneficial ingredients:
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rich in vitamin B, potassium, and iron
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high folic acid content
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it has an antioxidant effect due to the red pigment betanin
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it has an anti-inflammatory and blood-building effect
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ingredients such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are important for muscles, teeth, and bones
Initial, smaller studies also show that beetroot may have a positive effect on athletic performance: The nitrate contained in beetroot triggers processes in the body that positively affect blood and oxygen flow in the muscles. In short, this miracle tuber, which is occasionally counted among the so-called superfoods, brings a lot of positive nutrients with it.
Storage and tips for beetroot
With its bundle of beneficial nutrients and exceptionally high water content (over 85 grams per 100 grams of fruit), beetroot is not only popular in healthy diets, but is also remarkably versatile in the kitchen and in preparation. Beetroot soup, beetroot salads, as hummus, cooked, or sliced raw into thin slices: There is hardly any method of preparation that doesn't suit this tuber with its deep red color and sweet, earthy flavor. The preserved or fermented version in a jar is particularly popular. This way, beetroot can be enjoyed even outside its harvest season. Here are a few more helpful tips for storing, consuming, preserving, and preparing beetroot:
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It is best to store beetroot tubers in a wooden or plastic box. Covered with moist sand, they can be stored for several weeks in a dark, cool basement room.
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Storage in the refrigerator is also possible. To do this, wrap the beetroot tuber in a damp cloth and store it in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.
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If you want to enjoy this healthy power tuber for a particularly long time, preserve it and keep it in a typical sweet and sour brew in a mason jar.
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If you want to preserve many of the nutrients, don't boil the beetroot, but roast it in the oven: To do this, place the tuber in a dish, sprinkle with sea salt, and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes. After that, it can be peeled and processed further.
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Power smoothie with an incredible abundance of vitamins: Puree raw beetroot in a blender together with oranges and carrots to make a smoothie. Apple or ginger also work well in the smoothie, giving it an extra kick of acidity and a little of the spiciness typical of ginger.
So as you can see, beetroot is as versatile as almost no other vegetable, packed full of good ingredients, can be stored or preserved, and used in a wide variety of dishes. Rightly so, it is an absolute power vegetable and, with its history and versatility, was named Vegetable of the Year 2023 and 2024.
