Why are Carrots Orange? A Brief History of a Favourite Vegetable – an easy and informative read for you.
Of course you are perfectly aware that not all carrots are orange. In fact purple carrots, yellow carrots, red carrots and white carrots have all become popular in recent years. Again. Because, as we shall discover, the orange carrot was much later in cultivation than other colours.
In the Beginning…
The carrots which have been eaten as a vegetable for hundreds of years are a domesticated and developed form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota. A native of Europe and Southwest Asia, the wild carrot was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds. Carrot seeds dating back to 2000 – 3000 BC have been discovered in Switzerland.
It was only later that the carrot was bred to have a larger, palatable taproot. The first mention of a carrot with a root is in the 1st Century AD by the Greek physician Dioscorides, where three different types of carrot are depicted.
Although that White Carrot could be a Parsnip…
Carrots are a biennial vegetable. This means that in the first year of growth, the seed is sown and the plant develops foliage which in turn allows for the growth of a tap root. The root is a storage organ and rich in sugars. If the plant is not harvested, it will use the stored sugars in the second year to produce more top growth, especially flowers. The flowers will be pollinated, the plant will then set seed and die.
By harvesting the carrot at the end of its first season, humans are able to eat the sweet, nutritious root.
Also dating back to the 1st Century AD, the Romans ate a root vegetable called pastinaca, which may have been either carrot or parsnip. The two are closely related, both belonging to the Family Apiaceae. ‘Pastinaca’ can be loosely translated as ‘earth food’ – which is a rather delightful name for a root vegetable. Indeed Linnaeus used the word pastinaca as the Genus name for parsnips when he was creating his binomial plant naming system.
Lets go back to the wild carrot, Daucus carota. This was the ancestor of the domesticated carrot, with its tasty tap root, given the name Daucus carota sativus. Or Daucus carota sub species sativus, but lets not be too technical.
The carrot was probably first cultivated in Asia, and these types of carrot are called Daucus carota sativus var. atrorubens or anthocyanin carrots. The roots are mainly purple or almost black, although some yellow and white sports happen fairly frequently. Whereas the orange carrot is Daucus carota sativus var. sativus or carotene carrot.
Why are Carrots Orange?
One of the issues with the anthocyanin carrots was the taste (the nutritional value was less well known or quantifiable back in the Middle Ages). These roots were filling but nowhere near as sweet as modern carrot varieties. And one of the reasons for this was the chemical compound or make-up of the carrot. Carotene has a higher sweetness level.
Not that this was known back in the 8th Century, when the Moors introduced carrots into Spain when they invaded that country. However, as well as purple carrots, black carrots and pale / white carrots there were red carrots and yellow carrots. These latter two were mentioned in Spain as early as the 11 and 12th Centuries.
It was from these yellow carrots that the modern orange carrots were developed. And it was the Dutch who did most of the horticultural work involved. They were great gardeners and botanists in the 16th and 17th Centuries and had the knowledge and patience required to develop the orange carrot.
The earliest portrayals of orange carrots come from the mid 1500s and are predominantly by Dutch artists.
‘Woman pouring water in to a jar’ by Gerritt Dou, c 1660
Well, except for Dioscorides as mentioned earlier and another from the 5th century. But these could be mistaken as orange carrots due to the instability of early dyes and inks.
So why are carrots orange? It is the beta carotene that gives a carrot its orange colour and sweetness. So by developing a sweeter carrot, the Dutch created an orange one.
There is the folklore that the colourful new carrot was created to honour the House of Orange, who became Rulers of the Netherlands in the mid 1500s. But its more likely that the modern carrot came before the patriotism.
Carrots and World War 2
The reason why we say “Carrots are good for your eyesight” or rather “Eating carrots helps you to see in the dark” is down to some wartime propaganda.
It was already well known that the high proportion of Vitamin A in carrots, courtesy of the beta- carotene, helped to improve eye health. During the Second World War, food rationing was introduced which reduced the amount of sugar that was available. Sweet vegetables such as carrots were used as a sugar substitute in many recipes as vegetables were not subject to rationing.
The 1940 Blitz meant there was city-wide and country-wide darkness to make the task of the German bombers more difficult. However, the RAF had a new secret – radar technology that was able to intercept the enemy bombers before they reached England.
The RAF’s success was claimed to be a result of the vast quantity of carrots eaten by the pilots. Now whether the Germans believed this is another matter, but it certainly gave rise to the saying. And was good morale boosting for the British who were busy growing orange carrots and other vegetables in their Victory gardens and allotments.
The top two posters are British, the lower two from the USA. Doctor Carrot was supposed to encourage children to enjoy sweets made with carrots rather than sugar.
Why are Carrots Orange? And other Questions about the Carrot
For more on different types of carrots, statistics on where they’re grown and who grows the most (China, as it happens) you could do worse than have a look at the World Carrot Museum’s website. (Yes there is a carrot museum)
And just as an extra bit of information, did you know that the carrot was the Fleuroselect vegetable of 2019? Fleuroselect Home Garden Association supports seed and small plant producers and suppliers and shares information with home gardeners.
For more on vegetables and vegetable growing, you could: –
- have a read of the blogs below
- get in touch for Edible Gardening Classes to learn how to grow orange carrots and heritage carrots in your own garden
- ask about a kitchen garden design
But most of all, keep eating all those different types of carrots, because whatever their colour, they’re tasty (and good for you too)
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What is an Ornamental Edible Garden?
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Garden Visits – Kitchen Gardens
