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Beet

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture;
Plants

                     iBeet
   Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
   Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:       Plantae
   Subkingdom:    Tracheobionta
   Superdivision: Spermatophyta
   Division:      Magnoliophyta
   Class:         Magnoliopsida
   Subclass:      Caryophyllidae
   Order:         Caryophyllales
   Family:        Chenopodiaceae
   Genus:         Beta
   Species:       B. vulgaris

                                Binomial name

   Beta vulgaris
   L.

   The beet (Beta vulgaris) is a flowering plant in the family
   Chenopodiaceae, native to the coasts of western and southern Europe,
   from southern Sweden and the British Isles south to the Mediterranean
   Sea. It is important because of its cultivated varieties, fodder beet,
   beetroot and the sugar-producing sugar beet.

   It is a herbaceous biennial or perennial plant with leafy stems growing
   to 1-2 m tall. The leaves are heart-shaped, 5-20 cm long on wild plants
   (often much larger in cultivated plants). The flowers are produced in
   dense spikes, each flower very small, 3-5 mm diameter, green or tinged
   reddish, with five petals; they are wind-pollinated. The fruit is a
   cluster of hard nutlets.

   There are three subspecies:
     * Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima. Sea Beet. Northwestern Europe. Plant
       smaller, to 80 cm tall; root not swollen.
     * Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris. Mediterranean Europe. Plant larger,
       to 2 m tall; with a rounded fleshy taproot. The ancestor of the
       cultivated beets (not subsp. maritima, as sometimes stated).
     * Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla - see Chard

   The cultivated forms are thought to have come from sea-coast plants of
   Europe and Asia. With the imposition of the blockade of the continent
   during the Napoleonic wars there was an impetus to develop beet for
   their sugar content.

Cultivation and uses

   The root and leaves of subsp. vulgaris are edible and an important food
   crop. Beetroot can be peeled, steamed, and then eaten warm with butter
   as a delicacy; cooked, pickled, and then eaten cold as a condiment; or
   peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad. The leaves and stems
   can be steamed briefly as a vegetable, although this is preferably done
   with young plants. These and older leaves and stems can be sliced and
   stir-fried and have a flavour resembling taro leaves. The stems can
   also be cooked with another foodstuff (eg., black beans) for an
   increased nutritional value.

   Beets are used as a food plant by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera
   species — see List of Lepidoptera which feed on Beet.

Cultivars

   A selection of beets, also known as beetroots (cultivated Beta
   vulgaris), at a grocery store.
   Enlarge
   A selection of beets, also known as beetroots (cultivated Beta
   vulgaris), at a grocery store.

   Numerous cultivars have been selected and bred for several different
   characteristics. For example, the "earthy" taste of some beet cultivars
   comes from the presence of the chemical compound geosmin. Researchers
   have not yet answered whether beets produce geosmin themselves, or
   whether it is produced by symbiotic soil microbes living in the plant.
   Nevertheless, breeding programs can produce cultivars with low geosmin
   levels yielding flavours more acceptable to shoppers.

   Major Cultivar Groups include:
     * Fodder beet wurzel or mangold used as animal fodder.
     * Sugar beet grown for sugar.
     * Chard, a beet which has been bred for leaves instead of roots and
       is used as a leaf vegetable.
     * Beetroot or table beet (or, in the 19th century, "blood turnip")
       used as a root vegetable. Notable cultivars in this group include:
          + Albina Vereduna, a white variety.
          + Bull's Blood, an open-pollinated variety originally from
            Britain, known for its dark red foliage. It is grown
            prinicipally for its leaves, which add colour to salads.
          + Burpee's Golden, a beet with orange-red skin and yellow flesh.
          + Chioggia, an open-pollinated variety originally grown in
            Italy. The concentric rings of its red and white roots are
            visually striking when sliced. As a heritage variety, Chioggia
            is largely unimproved and has relatively high concentrations
            of geosmin.
          + Detroit Dark Red has relatively low concentrations of geosmin,
            and is therefore a popular commercial cultivar in the US.
          + India Beet is not that sweet compared to Western beet.
          + Lutz Greenleaf, a variety with a red root and green leaves,
            and a reputation for maintaining its quality well in storage.
          + Red Ace, the principal variety of beet found in U.S.
            supermarkets, typical for its bright red root and red-veined
            green foliage.

Nutritional information

   Sundried tomato tuna with baby beets.
   Enlarge
   Sundried tomato tuna with baby beets.

   The various table beets contain significant amounts of vitamin C in the
   roots, and the tops are an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also
   high in folate, as well as soluble and insoluble dietary fibre and
   several antioxidants.

   Beetroot is among the sweetest of vegetables, containing more sugar
   even than carrots or sweet corn. The content of sugar in beetroot is no
   more than 10%, in the sugar beet it is typically 15 to 20%.

   An average sized cup (226.8 grams) of sliced beets will contain:
     * Food energy 31 Cal (130 kJ)
     * Carbohydrate 8.5 g
     * Dietary fibre 1.5 g
     * Folate 53.2 µg
     * Phosphorus 32 mg
     * Potassium 259 mg
     * Protein 1.5 g

   Beetroots can be cooked and eaten like potatoes or turnips, although
   they are not commonly consumed in North America due to their flavour.
   Beet recipes include borscht, a beet soup common in Eastern Europe.
   Beetroot is a popular hamburger condiment in Australia. Beet leaves are
   edible, and are used in 'beet rolls', a food similar to cabbage rolls
   that replaces the cabbage with beet leaves.

Beetroot colour

   It is a popular misconception that the colour of red beetroot is due to
   a pigment known as anthocyanin which is the pigment in red cabbage. It
   is, in fact, due to a purple pigment betacyanin and a yellow pigment
   betaxanthin known collectively as betalins. Other breeds of beetroot
   which are not the usual deep red, such as 'Burpee's Golden' and 'Albina
   Vereduna', have a greater or lesser distribution of the two betalin
   pigments.

   Betacyanin in beetroot may cause red urine and feces in some people who
   are unable to break it down.

   The pigments are contained in cell vacuoles. Beetroot cells are quite
   unstable and will 'leak' when cut, heated, or when in contact with air
   or sunlight. This is why red beetroots leave a purple stain. Leaving
   the skin on when cooking, however, will maintain the integrity of the
   cells and therefore minimise leakage.

   The pigment is stable in acidic conditions, which is a major reason why
   beetroot is often pickled. In the United States, it is the traditional
   colorant for pink lemonade. Beet juice is also a common choice for
   edible ink, such as for marking grades on cuts of meat.

Medicinal uses

   Various cultivated forms of Beta vulgaris have been used for medicinal
   purposes since ancient times.

   The Romans used beetroot as a treatment for fevers and constipation,
   amongst other ailments. Apicius in De Re Coquinaria gives five recipes
   for soups to be given as a laxative, three of which feature the root of
   beet. Hippocrates advocated the use of beet leaves as binding for
   wounds.

   Since Roman times, beetroot juice has been considered an aphrodisiac.
   It is a rich source of the mineral boron, which plays an important role
   in the production of human sex hormones.

   From the Middle Ages, beetroot was used as a treatment for a variety of
   conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood.
   Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects
   of 'garlic-breath'.

   Today the beetroot is still championed as a cureall. One of the most
   controversial examples is the official position of the South African
   Health Minister on the treatment of AIDS. Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang,
   Health Minister under Thabo Mbeki, has been nicknamed 'Dr Beetroot' for
   promoting beets and other vegetables over anti-retroviral AIDS
   medicines, which she considers toxic.

   Beetroots are rich in the nutrient Betaine. Betaine supplements,
   manufactured as a byproduct of sugar beet processing, are prescribed to
   lower potentially toxic levels of homocysteine (Hcy), a naturally
   occurring amino acid that can be harmful to blood vessels thereby
   contributing to the development of heart disease, stroke, and
   peripheral vascular disease.

Trivia

     * Field Marshall Montgomery is reputed to have exhorted his troops to
       'take favours in the beetroot fields', a euphemism for visiting
       prostitutes.
     * The rock group British Sea Power featured the song Favours in the
       beetroot fields on their debut album The Decline of British Sea
       Power.
     * The television cartoon " Doug" features a popular teenage rock band
       that has the name "The Beets".
     * In Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins, almost everything in the plot
       revolves around the beet.
     * "Beets" by Einstein's Little Homunculus waxes eloquent on the
       desirability of beets.

     * The Beatroots are a UK band created in 2000.
     * The Beatroots is the name of a 1994 music album by The Fred Bison
       Five (Fred Bison is a pseudonym used by Nick Salomon).

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
