What is beetroot?
A: The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English.

It is one of several cultivated varieties of what?
A: Beta vulgaris grown for their edible taproots and leaves.

Other cultivars of the same species include what?
A: The sugar beet, the leaf vegetable known as chard or spinach beet, and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop.

Beta is the ancient Latin name for beetroot, possibly of Celtic origin, becoming what in Old English?
A: Bete.

The domestication of beetroot can be traced to the emergence of an allele which enables what?
A: Biennial harvesting of leaves and taproot.

Where was beetroot domesticated?
A: In the ancient Middle East, primarily for their greens, and were grown by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.

By the Roman era, it is thought that they were cultivated for what?
A: Their roots as well.

From the Middle Ages, beetroot was used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, especially illnesses relating to what?
A: Digestion and the blood.

Bartolomeo Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to do what?
A: To nullify the effects of "garlic-breath".

During the middle of the 19th century, wine was often what?
A: Colored with beetroot juice.

Food shortages in Europe following World War I caused great hardships, including cases of what?
A: Mangelwurzel disease, as relief workers called it, symptomatic of eating only beetroot.

How are the deep purple roots of beetroot usually eaten?
A: Boiled, roasted, or raw, and either alone or combined with any salad vegetable.

The green, leafy portion of the beetroot is what?
A: Edible.

The young leaves can be added raw to what?
A: Salads.

The mature leaves are commonly served how?
A: Boiled or steamed, in which case they have a taste and texture like spinach.

In Eastern Europe, beetroot soup, such as what is common?
A: Borscht.

In Serbia beetroot is used as what?
A: Winter salad, seasoned with salt and vinegar, with meat dishes.

As an addition to horseradish, it is also used to produce the "red" variety of chrain, a what?
A: A condiment in Ashkenazi Jewish, Hungarian, Polish, Lithuanian, Russian, and Ukrainian cuisine.

In Indian cuisine, chopped, cooked, spiced beetroot is a common what?
A: Side dish.

A common dish in Sweden and elsewhere in the Nordic countries is Biff à la Lindström, a variant of meatballs or burgers, with what?
A: Chopped or grated beetroot added to the minced meat.

A large proportion of the commercial production is processed into what?
A: Boiled and sterilized beetroot or into pickles.

Betanin, obtained from the roots, is used industrially as what?
A: A red food colorant, to improve the color and flavor of tomato paste, sauces, desserts, jams and jellies, ice cream, candy, and breakfast cereals.

When beetroot juice is used, it is most stable in foods with what?
A: A low water content, such as frozen novelties and fruit fillings.