Beet Recipes – Alphabet of Vegetables (Beetroot Recipes)
IN A RUSH? Prefer Another Vegetable? Skip Straight to the Recipes or Switch to the A-Z of Vegetables . BEETS: THE BASICS Beets are called, well, "beets" in North America but "beetroot" (in English only, obviously) in the rest of the world. We think of beets as a "root" vegetable because the edible portion grows below ground; in fact, botanically, beets are the lower stem of the beet plant. (More about Root Vegetables .) Tender leafy-green beet greens are also delicious; chefs are especially fond of tiny-tiny beet microgreens, so pretty on the plate. Mostly, we humans eat what we call "garden beets" or "table beets"; in contrast, "sugar beets" are grown to manufacture sugar. Don't be startled, it's natural for beets to turn urine a slight pink color . Beets are known for their glistening claret color but specialty beets come in lovely orange and gold colors, even white; they all taste the same and cost a lot more.