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The Carrot Has a Colorful Place in Food History

Do not disparage the carrot, it is a good friend of the human race. I'd say almost as good a friend as the dog, with which it has a lot in common. For example, both thrive in human company, both are skilled at adapting themselves to the changing needs of their owners and both will defend their owners when attacked. Truly. Keep reading.

The carrot family is believed to have originated in Afghanistan. It was first cultivated for its leaves and seeds; the roots were small and tasted bad. But a strange thing happened to these domesticated carrots: their roots grew larger, large enough to eat. We don't know how they tasted, but in the 12th century AD an Arab writer in Spain reported that they were good "dressed with oil and vinegar," which makes me think that, to use a dog analogy, the carrot was now house-trained.

But I'm not sure we would have recognized it as a carrot. If back then you had used the word "carrot top" to indicate the colour of a person's hair, the hair would have been either yellow or purple. Four centuries passed before the carrot acquired its carrot colour, and it happened in the Netherlands, where horticulture was highly advanced. Tulips, remember?

We can see progressive changes in the shape and colour of carrots in Dutch paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries. A favourite subject was food -- huge heaped-up piles of food -- painted in meticulous detail. So realistic I sometimes skip lunch and look at a Dutch still-life instead. In earlier paintings the carrots were long and straggly, greyish-white and sometimes yellow. Over time the yellow grows stronger and turns to orange, while the root becomes shorter, thicker and more symmetrical. There was at the same time a change in flavour. The new orange carrot was sweeter, was good raw, and didn't turn to mush when cooked.

This is the carrot that took over the Old World, and eventually the New World, too.

Many say that carrots had their finest hour during the Battle of Britain. They were called upon to help defend the U.K. against night-time bombing raids, and they played their part. I'm sure you know this story, so I'll keep it short.

The Royal Air Force entered the war with a trump card up its sleeve -- radar. Fighter pilots didn't need to see a target to attack it. To keep radar secret and bamboozle the enemy, British Intelligence published an alternative story; RAF fighter pilots ate a diet high in carrots, and consequently were able to see in the dark. The most successful of the radar-assisted fighter pilots was John Cunningham. The publicists turned him into a poster boy, and for greater effect called him "Cats' Eyes Cunningham." He hated it, but what could he do? There was a war on.

One reason the lie worked so well is that it contains a grain of truth. Carrots help the body to create vitamin A, which is important for normal operation of the eyes. But it can't boost night vision. Eat a lot of carrots and the only physical change is that your skin turns orange. I can visualize Luftwaffe pilots at the controls over the North Sea, skins glowing bright orange, peering into the darkness and wondering why if the carrot diet works for Cats' Eyes Cunningham, it doesn't work for them.

A few days ago the 2008 West Coast Seeds catalogue arrived in my mail. I turned to the carrot section -- not that I have any hope of growing them in our half-inch of soil. What a display! I'll use my last dog analogy -- it's like the program of a dog show, from chihuahua to great Dane.

The Carrot Show includes light orange, dark orange, tapered, cylindrical, yellow, white, purple, red on the outside and white inside, and tiny spherical carrots the size of radishes.

And all of them Best of Breed, I'm sure.

Pam Freir, Special to Times Colonist

Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2008

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/life/story.html?id=efa44519-e0fe-4dcc-a7db-23cda8bd3a57&k=20907&p=2

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