If 90 percent of the sugar consumed in Europe comes from beets, the responsible is Napoleon who with the blockade of French commercial lines decreed in the early nineteenth century, left no alternative but to promote the sugar industry from this red tuber.
To the surprise of many, except for Napoleon himself, in 1806 cane sugar had almost disappeared from European stores and five years later there were already more than forty factories in northern France, Germany, Austria, Russia and Denmark where thousands and thousands of tons of beets were processed into tiny white crystals.
Beet sugar
The first references to this plant are found in Greek literature around 420 BC and contrary to what many believe, it began as an ornamental plant that adorned the monasteries of the Middle Ages. Its cultivation spread throughout Europe and the first thing that was incorporated into the human diet were the leaves that were consumed in the same way that is currently done with spinach and chard.
It was not until 1747 that the German scientist Andreas Marggraf discovered that the crystals obtained from beet juice were just as sweet as those of sugar cane. With that he inaugurated the European reign of this vegetable.
But as if sugar were not enough, a dye widely used in the food industry is extracted from the root of the beet, it is betacyanin, baptized precisely as “beet red”, E162 or Betania.
One of the peculiarities of this pigment is that not all humans are carriers of the enzyme that allows it to be metabolized, so in many cases after the consumption of beets, urine and feces acquire a reddish color.
How to cook beets?
The first thing is to remove the leaves and stems. Then wash the pieces of this vegetable well and without peeling them, bring them to a boil. If you use a pressure cooker, 20 minutes are usually enough, otherwise, the process takes almost twice as long depending on the size of the beets.
To check if they are well cooked, pat them with a knife or fork and check how sensitive the innermost part is.
Once cooked, let them refresh. Throw away the water that has surely turned very red. Proceed to gently remove the shell and then chop it into thin flakes or small cubes, depending on the type of dish you want to prepare.
Beetroot can also be used to prepare tasty and nutritious vegetable juices, either alone or by combining it with carrots or tomatoes.