Ahhh the ubiquitous carrot, favorite food of rabbits, amazing for your eyesight, and the foundation of what is easily one of the greatest cakes ever conceived. When you think of a carrot, it’s doubtless that you immediately bring to mind the bright orange root with the green foliage that is often found sticking out of the face of snowmen. What if we told you that orange is just one of the colors that carrots come in? In fact, it isn’t even the most common color outside of the Americas. Carrot Day is your opportunity to learn more about all the various cultivars of carrot, and what they can bring to your meals!
History of Carrot Day
The history of Carrot Day is really the history of the carrot, and research of this incredibly popular root has revealed that it likely finds its origins in Central Asia. Through thousands of years of careful cultivation, we have ultimately arrived at the bright orange, slightly sweet, not at all bitter variety of carrot we have today! http://www.carrotday.com established Carrot Day in 2003, and it’s spread throughout the world to all the places the carrot is known.
As we’ve mentioned, there are multiple varieties of this carrot, otherwise known as cultivars, that range away from the traditional orange color we all think of. There’s the purple dragon carrot, a lovely form of carrot that has a deliciously complex flavor, slightly spicy with a kid-friendly sweetness. There’s also a lovely yellow carrot that’s as brightly yellow as a banana but has a wonderful flavor all its own.
Carrots are the foundation of so many meals, from rich savory stews to sweet cakes and candies. They can serve as almost any part of a meal as well, including a sweet candied carrot or as the color to a tray of richly roasted vegetables. Carrot Day celebrates this root in all its uses!
How to celebrate Carrot Day
Well, the easiest and tastiest way to celebrate Carrot Day is to make sure that it’s featured in every meal! Start your day with a couple of carrot-apple breakfast muffins, and take along a bag of them with a bit of ranch dressing for a snack throughout the day. Round out your lunch with a slice of delicious carrot cake, and enjoy the fundamental flavor of roast vegetables featuring our favorite, the carrot! Carrot Day really is an opportunity for the all-purpose vegetable, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert…. And a nose for snowmen! Carrots really can do it all!
