Carrots Are Not Always Orange! Quiz

Answer: green

White and purple carrots are considered the original carrot colors, but were not too popular with European and Western cultures because of their bitter taste. White carrots were common in Europe during Roman and Greek times as a dish similar to cooked parsnips or used to feed livestock. Yellow and purple carrots were native to parts of the Middle east.

Answer: Dutch

Around the 14th century, purple carrots were imported to Europe from the Middle East. Not fans of the bitter taste, the Dutch created the orange version of the carrot during the 16th century, as a sweeter and more edible alternative. Orange also made the carrot popular because of the Dutch Prince William of Orange and it being their national color.

Answer: Afghanistan

Afghanistan is credited with being the carrot's original country of origin and has a history of growing carrots as early as the 900's. Purple carrots were used in Afghanistan during the 10th century as a root that was used to dye the robes of royalty.

Answer: True

Although their outside is different, purple carrots can be orange at heart. Their insides can be orange or white, usually based on the amount of anthocyanin they have. Purple carrots have also been found to have stronger antioxidant properties than their orange counterparts, with the same pigments and antioxidants that are found in blueberries.

Answer: India

India introduced Japan and China to red carrots during the 16th and 17th centuries. In Europe, Italy also started growing red carrots around this time.

Although it's not proven that red can lead to a long life, red carrots contain a high amount of Vitamin A, which helps to prevent clogging of the arteries and thus helps to prevent strokes.

Answer: tomatoes

Known for giving carrots and tomatoes their reddish color, lycopene is also found in watermelons, gac, pink grapefruit, and papayas. It is used in many health supplements as an antioxidant to fight and repair body damage from infectious diseases.

Nutritionists (including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the University of Portsmouth) have researched lycopene's usefulness as a supplement to help heart conditions and prevent cancer.

Answer: white

The white carrot made its way to South American culture when it was first imported to Brazil in the 18th and 19th centuries. In mountainous regions of South America, the white carrot and potatoes became a flourishing crop in areas of poorly fertilized soil.

A downfall was that it took 10 to 12 months to grow and harvest. In the Andes region, white carrots have been made into fried chips, biscuits, and coarse flour. They have 10 to 20% starch content.

Answer: The United States

Raw carrots became a part of the food culture in the United States as early as the 17th century. In the health craze of the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, the United States promoted eating raw carrots for the health benefits of vitamins and the raw fiber which helped healthy digestion. Raw carrots were promoted as part of salads, raw vegetable trays, and even smoothies.

Answer: False

Yellow carrots have one of the highest resistance levels to heat, drought, salinity, and pests. Yellow carrots also have high amounts of xanthophylls and lutein, which in addition to Vitamin A, have benefited eye health and fight diseases such as macular degeneration and cancers.

White carrots are known to be the weakest carrot because of their susceptibility to viruses and disease. This is caused by their lack of nutrients other pigmented carrots have.

Answer: wild animals

Given their natural desert origin, carrots that have been grown in sandy or organic soils have more vibrant colors. Temperatures above and below 70° and 60°F reduce the color of carrots, making carrots grown in the summer and spring bolder colors. Excessive watering can also decrease the color of carrots.