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These attributes make it a key ingredient in many fabulous salads such as Beet Koshumbir (see PICK OF THE RECIPES). And if you haven't tried fresh beet juice you may be pleasantly surprised at how subtle it is, particularly when offset with a sharper ingredient such as orange or apple. HISTORYBeet evolved from wild seabeet which is a native of coastlines from India to Britain. Two thousand years ago, prior to being modified by cultivation techniques, beet had a carrot-shaped root and only the leaves were eaten (the small root was used for medicinal purposes by ancient Greeks and Romans). The familiar rounded root variety was developed around the sixteenth century and gained widespread popularity in Europe a couple of hundred years later. Today beet is common throughout much of North America and Europe. It is used extensively in Scandinavian, Eastern European and Russian cuisine. BIOLOGYThe beet plant, Beta vulgaris, has deep tap roots and can grow in a variety of soil conditions. Other members of the genus include chard, sugar beet, spinach and samphire. The red variety is dominant but golden and white beet is grown on a smaller scale. NUTRITIONBeet has a higher sugar content than most vegetables. It is rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, magnesium, manganese, and folic acid. The leafy tops are an excellent source of beta-carotene, iron and calcium. TIPSBUYING If you want to use the leaves they should be crisp, fresh looking and not too long or thick (if you don't, it doesn't matter too much if they're a bit limp as they deteriorate much more quickly than the root). STORING PREPARING To preserve the beet's color and nutrients, rinse and brush clean but do not remove the skin or root until after cooking. Cook until a skewer easily penetrates to the core (anything from 40 minutes to 2½ hours boiling or 1½ to 3 hours baking at 350°F). You may want to wear rubber gloves when cutting and handling beet as the pigmentation leaves a pretty stubborn stain. The leaves can be cooked like spinach - steam uncovered in a pan with a small amount of boiling water (around ½" depth). OTHER STUFFExtensive information on beetroot (what beet is known as in the UK), and some other interesting stuff, can be found on this website. PICK OF THE RECIPES
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