The History of Carrots

Carrots were first domesticated over 1,000 years ago in ancient Persia. Before that, they grew in the wild in their native range of modern-day Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. The wild carrot was valued for its fragrant leaves, seeds, and flowers (if allowed to flower, carrots will produce white blooms in umbrella-like clusters). Interestingly, carrots only acquired their orange hue in the 17th century through cultivation — previously, only purple or yellow varieties existed. The new cultivar (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) was also bred specifically for its taproot, resulting in a less woody, sweeter carrot. The name “carrot” comes from the Latin word carota. Today, carrots are consumed all over the world and are a key ingredient in many recipes.