The History of Beets

Beets are said to have been grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and were prized in both ancient Greece and ancient Rome. They were also widely used in pies during the Middle Ages. Interestingly, humans originally only ate beet greens. Beets also looked different in the past — the root portion once more closely resembled a parsnip than the beets we are familiar with today. The modern variety began to show up around the 1500s and is thought to have evolved from a prehistoric North African root vegetable. The root portion of beets wasn’t cultivated or widely consumed until around 1542. It’s thought that this was first done in either Italy or Germany. During Elizabethan times, beets became popular ingredients in tarts and stews, but did not become a culinary staple until the late 1700s and early 1800s. Northeastern Europe was the first area to make beets a dietary staple, in part because beet plants thrived during the winter months. Beets have also been embraced by Russia and other countries with cold, harsh climates as well as those with warmer climates; they are now staple ingredients in cuisines ranging from Italian to Russian. Thomas Jefferson also planted beets at Monticello and during the 19th century, women even used beet juice as a cheek and lip stain! Beets were even subsidized by the King of Prussia after a chemist named Andreas Sigismund Marggraf discovered how to produce sugar from beets in the mid-1700s. Beets were also seen as an aphrodisiac in many cultures and the ancient Romans even used images of beets in their frescos adorning the walls of the Lupanare brothel in Pompeii. Beets get their unique flavor from geosmin, the same substance that creates the earthy scent known as petrichor after a spring rain. Today, beets are a staple in many cuisines all around the world, and although they can be a polarizing ingredient that some people love and others loathe, they’ve gained additional popularity in recent years and dishes such as beet salad are now included on many restaurant menus all over the world.