The orange-colored carrots so ubiquitous today weren't around forever. Actually orange carrots were only first documented in the 17th century by Flemish painters. Before that, European carrots were commonly white, purple, yellow and even red. But by the 18th century, orange carrots had not only taken over culinarily, but have also influenced language. For example, carrots were an incentive for donkeys to move forward, which led to the "carrot or stick" approach to motivation.
Evelyne Bloch-Dano tells the story of the carrot and other under-appreciated vegetables in her new book, aptly named Vegetables, a Biography.
Not quite accurate, there are depictions of an orange carrot in ad 512, and the 11th century both well before the 17th century.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the World Carrot museum for the full history.
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