Black carrot or scorzonera, as it is better known, is a particularly useful and edible plant. In appearance this interesting look resembles a simple carrot, the difference being only in the black root. The Black Carrot home is Southern Europe and Southwest Asia.
The plant can reach a height of 30 to 70 cm. The carrot of this species blooms in May with bright yellow inflorescences. The seeds ripen in June. The root, which is completely edible, has a rich black-violet color, and the heart is juicy and delicious. The weight of a black carrot reaches 150-200 g. The root can be left in the ground for the winter after the soil is covered with dry leaves.
Black carrots have good taste properties and are much more useful than ordinary orange carrots. Thanks to these qualities, this vegetable is widely used in cooking and medicine.
Their use in the culinary industry is literally limitless - they can be used for salads, soups, cooked dishes, sauces, vinagrets. The taste of the raw black carrot is bitter, reminiscent of black turnips. When cooked, carrots change their taste and they come close to those of asparagus.
Before it is consumed in fresh form, it is advisable to soak the black carrots for about an hour in salted water. This will help not be so bitter.
This unusual black carrot representative is especially valuable because it contains many useful substances:
• pectins;
• honey;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• potassium;
• zinc;
• Vitamins A, C, B, PP, E;
• inulin;
• aspartic acid.
Thanks to this composition black carrots are known for a wide range of healing properties:
• improves metabolism;
• helps reduce stress;
• maintains visual acuity;
• has anti-inflammatory, anti-cardiac effects;
• An effective antioxidant.
In view of the excellent influence of insulin levels in the blood, black carrots are among the most suitable for inclusion in people with diabetes. Vegetables contain more lutein and carotene than orange carrots, and in this sense it is sometimes more useful in the prevention of vision.