Color Me Purple, Part 4: Eat Your Purples! Quiz

Answer: Concord grape

Concord grapes are named after the town of Concord in Massachusetts. As well as grape juice, they are also used to make grape jam (if you're eating a PBJ, chances are the jam will have Concord grapes in it), wine - especially kosher wine - and grape-flavoured sweets. Concord grapes also contain methyl anthranilate, which is used as a flavouring agent because of its fruity grape smell.

Concord grapes are high in antioxidants, minerals and, vitamins (especially vitamins C and K), and compounds which help protect the eyes, such as lutein and zeaxanthin. They make a nice healthy snack as they're fairly easy to carry around (I often take a small bunch to work with me). Their high water content also helps keep you hydrated.2

[contributed by Kankurette]

Answer: blackberries

Blackberries are a rich source of anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants which give blackberries and other purple fruit their deep purple colour. The hardy brambles on which they grow thrive throughout the English countryside in both woodlands and hedgerows, and many Brits have fond memories of actively foraging for these fruits in the wild during their childhood years.

There is an old English folk story suggesting that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas Day (29th September), as the devil has urinated on them, angry after falling from Heaven into a blackberry bush! However, this legend is more likely to relate to English weather conditions, which often turn particularly wet during the month of October.

[contributed by moonraker2]

Answer: blackcurrants

Blackcurrants are the fruits of a shrub native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia, known by the scientific name of Ribes nigrum. White and red currants and gooseberries also belong to the Ribes genus. Rich in vitamin C and polyphenol phytochemicals, blackcurrants are generally eaten cooked, in jams, jellies, ice creams and other desserts (such as kissel, a dish of sweetened, thickened fruit juices popular in Northern Europe). Their juice is also used to make soft drinks such as Ribena, or alcoholic beverages such as "crème de cassis", a sweet liqueur originally from the French wine-making region of Burgundy. A popular apéritif called Kir is made by mixing crème de cassis with white wine; in Kir Royal, champagne replaces the wine.

[contributed by LadyNym]

Answer: plum

Plums have been harvested for centuries. The fruits' juicy flesh when ripe varies from yellow to red, and the smooth skin might be yellow, green, red or purple when ripe. The most popular variety in the USA is the purple plum (also called the black plum) with yellow flesh. When raw, these small fruits are a source of vitamins A and C and are low in calories (generally fewer than 50 calories per fruit). Prunes and prune juice help prevent constipation because of the fiber content. Both prunes and plums are high in antioxidants and help protect cells from free radicals. The fruits might be eaten raw, or cooked into a number of dishes, jams and preserves. They are also used to make beverages, including Chinese Suanmeitang, Sloe gin and Slivovitz.

[contributed by mlcmlc]

Answer: They lose their color

When a red onion is boiled, the most traditional way of cooking them, they lose most of their color. As the color comes out of the skin easily, it may be used as a dye.

Red onions, sometimes called purple onions, are an onion cultivar with purplish skin and a red tinge to the flesh. High in flavonoids, red onions generally are sweeter and have more fiber than white or yellow onions. Allicin, found in garlic as well as onions, helps prevent blood clots and may lower blood pressure. Quercetin binds with estrogen, which may reduce the risk of uterine, prostate, and other cancers that tend have estrogen receptors. And it makes an excellent, pungent addition to a salad or sandwich!

[contributed by Shadowmyst2004]

Answer: Persia

Though less common in supermarkets today, but making a comeback in the 21st century, the Eastern carrot appeared first, and it reached Europe and China in the fourteenth century. The orange carrot (a type of Western carrot) appeared in the sixteenth century in Italy, Spain, and Germany. Carrots were exported to the Americas during the era of exploration.

Whatever the color, carrots are an excellent source of nutrition, with 41 calories per 100 gram serving. That serving of carrots also provides 2.8 grams of dietary fiber and over 100% of your daily recommended allowance of Vitamin A and 77% of your beta-carotene. Purple carrots, in particular, are also packed with the antioxidant anthocyanin, which incidentally gives the purple carrot its purple color and may prevent cell damage from free radicals linked to cancer, heart disease, and mental decline.

[contributed by bernie73]

Answer: broccoli

Amazingly, the cauliflower vegetable can also come in the appealing colour of purple, thanks to anthocyanins. Broccoli, of course, does bear some resemblance to cauliflower. Both vegetables are classed as cruciferous plants. In addition to coming in colours of white and purple, cauliflower also comes with brown, yellow, green or orange colouring.

Purple cauliflower is high in Vitamin C, with just half a cupful taking care of your vitamin C requirements for one day. In addition, it provides fiber, vitamin A, folate, calcium and potassium. I like eating most vegetables raw myself, and this vegetable has a unique taste when consumed in this way. But of course, it's also delicious boiled and eaten with salt, pepper, and butter -- to die for, in fact -- or roasted with garlic and a dash of vinegar.

[contributed by Creedy]

Answer: Peru and Bolivia

The colourful and extremely nutritious tubers were first brought to Europe by Spanish sailors in the 16th century, who brought them aboard ship to be eaten as a defense against scurvy. When introduced to North America in the 1980s, purple potatoes quickly became prized for being a great source of the immune system boosting antioxidant anthocyanin, as well as vitamins C and B6, and potassium. All potatoes provide potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure, but the anthocyanin that colours purple potatoes makes these varieties more effective than others. Purple potatoes are as versatile as other types of potatoes when it comes to cookery, and can be prepared in virtually all the ways that white potatoes can be prepared.

[contributed by SpanishLiz]

Answer: eggplant

Depending on where you live, you might call the vegetable eggplant or aubergine, and the dish being prepared a relish or chutney. It is made by frying cubes of eggplant (or grilling them, to reduce the oil content and introduce a smoky flavor), and combining with a selection of spices and a bit of sweetening agent.

Eggplants are thought to have originated in India, and then been spread around by travelling Arab merchants - hence the common use in Europe of their name for the vegetable, aubergine. They gained the name eggplant in North America, when it was applied to white cultivars, which rather resembled eggs. The purple eggplant, however, is by far the most common. Some cultivars are so dark that they appear almost black.

Because eggplant is a member of the nightshade family, which has some highly poisonous members, it was sometimes considered dangerous to eat. The bitter taste of early cultivars contributed to this caution, and preparation traditionally called for salting the eggplant to reduce the bitterness. This is no longer needed with modern cultivars, although salting to reduce the water content before use in some recipes may still be recommended.

[contributed by looney_tunes]

Answer: red (purple) cabbage

Purple cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that grows throughout Northern Europe, the Americas, and parts of China. It has been variously called red, purple, and blue cabbage (Blaukraut or Rotkraut in German) because like hydrangea it changes color according to the acidity of the soil it grows in! In fact, they can serve as a kitchen test of pH. if you dip the leaves in an acidic solution (like diluted vinegar) they'll turn redder, and in an alkaline solution (like baking soda and water) they'll turn green or yellow.

Purple cabbage contains B vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, K), several minerals (including calcium, magnesium, and potassium), and anthocyanins and other antioxidants. Purple cabbage further contains the amino acid glutamine which helps reduce the inflammation and pain associated with gastrointestinal ulcers. The insoluble fiber in purple cabbage helps prevent constipation and diverticular disease, and it may relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Purple cabbage has shown evidence of anticholinesterase properties which would help prevent dementia, but we need further studies to gauge its effectiveness. And of course, the anthocyanins which give purple cabbage its vivid color fight inflammation and free radicals, which reduces damage to cells that can lead to cancer.

"Rotkohl" literally means "red cabbage" in German (in the north), but especially among German descendants in America it refers to the traditional braised purple cabbage side dish.

[contributed by gracious1]