contain less starch than potatoes and are notably sweet; they may be 5% sugars, a mixture of sucrose, glucose, and fructose Carrots have found their way into cakes and sugar preserves in the West, are shredded and sweetened for rice dishes in Iran, and in India are cooked down in milk to make a vegetable kind of fudge (halwa) Carrot Cultivated carrots are swollen taproots of the species Daucus carota, which arose in the Mediterranean region There are two main groups of cultivated carrots The eastern anthocyanin carrot developed in central Asia, and has reddish-purple to purple-black outer layers and a yellow core of conducting vessels It’s eaten in its home region and can also be found in Spain The Western carotene carrot appears to be a hybrid among three different groups of ancestors: yellow carrots cultivated in Europe and the Mediterranean since medieval times; white carrots that had been cultivated since classical times; and some wild carrot populations The familiar orange carrot, the richest vegetable source of the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene, appears to have been developed in Holland in the 17th century There are also Asian carrot varieties whose roots are red with lycopene, the tomato carotenoid Carotene carrots have the practical advantage of retaining their oilsoluble pigments in water-based dishes, while anthocyanin carrots bleed their water-soluble colors into soups and stews The distinctive aroma of carrots is due largely to terpenes (p 273), and is a composite of pine, wood, oil, citrus, and turpentine notes; cooking adds a violet-like note from fragmented carotene White varieties tend to be the most strongly aromatic Exposure to sunlight, high temperatures, or physical damage can cause the roots to generate alcohol, which adds to the solvent-like aroma, as well as a bitter ... times; and some wild carrot populations The familiar orange carrot, the richest vegetable source of the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene, appears to have been developed in Holland in the 17th... carrots bleed their water-soluble colors into soups and stews The distinctive aroma of carrots is due largely to terpenes (p 273), and is a composite of pine, wood, oil, citrus, and turpentine notes; cooking adds a violet-like... appears to have been developed in Holland in the 17th century There are also Asian carrot varieties whose roots are red with lycopene, the tomato carotenoid Carotene carrots have the practical advantage of retaining their oilsoluble pigments in water-based dishes, while