This Mediterranean beauty is black as night and tasty as sweet radish. She is a relative of an orange carrot and at the same time differs from her in both taste and color. Meet the black carrot - the queen of the fields of Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt!
Table of contents
What is black carrot?
Scorzonera, which is the correct name for the black root vegetable, is not a new sort of ordinary carrot. This culture was grown in the eastern Mediterranean as early as the 16th century for medicinal and culinary purposes. Today it can be found in many eastern countries.In Russia, gardeners practically do not grow it, perhaps, simply because of the lack of information about proper cultivation.
Stems scorzonera dark green, up to 70 cm tall, leaves - ovate or lanceolate. Inflorescences appear in May, they have a bright yellow shade and exude a pleasant smell of vanilla. Cylindrical root outside black color, inside it is white, tender. The length of the fruit is usually about 15 cm, width - 5 cm, weight - up to 150-200 grams. It appears in the first year after landing. Very well stored in the ground, to protect from the cold enough to mulch dry grass or sawdust.
Types and varieties of plants
The best option to see all the variety of scoroner varieties is to go to a specialty store in Turkey. Here are the seeds of the “Spanish black”, “Black Knight”, “Lilac dragon” and Pusa Asita, they are great for growing in greenhouses. If you do not have the opportunity to visit the eastern country, pay attention to the varieties that have already taken root in the Russian summer cottages:
- Overseas Delicacy - mid-season with a slightly raised rosette, reaching a height of 17 cm. The cylindrical root crop is painted in a dark brown color. Its length does not exceed 35 cm, weight - 130 grams.
- Therapeutic - medium-early variety. It has elongated ovate leaves and long roots. Root crop of conical shape, weighing up to 80 grams. Its white flesh is sweet to the taste.
- Solar premiere - an early variety with a vertical rosette composed of elongated ovoid leaves. The root crop has a dark brown color, light weight (up to 80 grams) and a sufficient length (up to 32 cm). The yield is usually 1.5-2 kg per 1 sq. Km. meter
- Roma - dietary two-year grade. Root - black, cylindrical, up to 30 cm in length. Its pulp contains a large amount of milky juice, which is very useful for diabetics.
Seeds of any of the described varieties can be ordered by mail, if suddenly in your city they will not be in the store. Cost - from 15 rubles for a bag.
The benefits and harm of the root
Vegetable is rich in vitamins of groups B and C, iron, calcium and other trace elements. It contains inulin, which affects the level of cholesterol in the blood, as well as a number of biologically active components that improve the functioning of the heart, stomach, intestines and kidneys. Therefore, it is very often used for the production of medicines.
Scorzonera has no contraindications. But in any case, when you use the root vegetables for the first time, you should be careful, as you may experience individual intolerance. Also, in some cases, the root vegetable is able to produce a slight laxative effect.
Medicinal properties
Due to the fact that Scorzonera is rich in vitamins and minerals, it is often used to treat various diseases. Doctors recommend to use it in the fight against obesity, diabetes, influenza viruses and SARS, vitamin deficiency and anemia. But it also contributes to lowering blood pressure, improving visual acuity (several times better than a normal root crop), removing various inflammations in the body.
Cooking Application
At first glance, it is impossible to use scoroner. In appearance, it is very similar to the thick, straight root of any plant, for example, mandrake, or even to the usual slightly burnt stick. But this opinion changes as soon as the skin is removed. The flesh of the black carrot is white and very juicy, it smells like vanilla. It tastes like a sweet radish, or asparagus. It can be added to any soups, salads, main dishes.
They cook it differently: if they add it to the soup, they wash it and, after pouring it with hot water, peel it off, then cut it and throw it into the pan. If prepared for salad, do the same thing, only then still boil for 20-30 minutes in salted water. However, the root can be eaten raw. To do this, it is enough to clean it, chop and fill with vegetable oil.
Thanks to its peculiar taste, Scorzonera is perfectly combined with meat, fish, orange carrots, beetroot, cabbage and many other products. Able to give a special flavor to soups and sauces, and the color - marmalade and jelly, which, after adding its juice, acquire a rich purple color. In general, black carrots can be used in the same way as regular orange ones. But what the cooks themselves can do with it, only the cooks themselves, i.e. you.
Conclusion
Scorzonera is still little known in Russiabut it needs to be fixed. Indeed, despite its peculiar appearance, color, and a little whimsical character, it deserves to take a worthy place on our tables along with orange carrots. Do not forget about the benefits. Such a species is much more valuable than its “brother”, if only because it is the only natural source in the world of a substance that is very useful for the eyes - inulin.