Droppin' The Beet
The purpose of this Food For Thought Action Project was to trace the origin and evolution of a particular food. This process began when I was asked to interview a family member about a popular recipe that has been handed down over generations. Naturally, I looked to my maternal grandmother because the Lithuanian culture is heavily rooted in traditional dishes. My grandmother learned these recipes from her mother (my great-grandmother), who learned them from HER mother (my great-great-grandmother). My grandmother cooks many traditional Lithuanian dishes, but the one that stands out the most is 'saltibarsciai' - cold beet soup. Her connection to this recipe is very personal because it began as a means to an end, but evolved into a family favorite. The main ingredient of this dish is the beet - a red, earthy, and sweet root vegetable. Join me as I trace the origin and evolution of this unique and versatile food.
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Hello, my name is Beta vulgaris. You can call me table beet. I am a vegetable from the family Chenopodiaceae - a family of flowering plants. I am a member of the Beta genus crop group that includes Swiss chard, mangel, and sugarbeet (Beta Vulgaris 2015). All three of these crops are my cousins because we are derived from the same species, vulgaris, but have different subspecies designations. Swiss chard and I are mainly used as vegetables. Mangel is mostly used as animal feed, and the sugarbeet is used as a source of sucrose. I am what some people like to call a ‘niche’ vegetable. This means the table beet appeals only to a small, specialized section of the population. I am, particularly, popular in small areas of Europe, North America, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.
I am a sweet root vegetable with a deep red color and earthy taste. This earthy flavor comes from a substance called geosmin. Geosmin is responsible for the fresh soil scent in your garden after a rainfall (History of Beetroot 2018). Humans are very sensitive to geosmin, so people either love me or loathe me. Since early varieties of me were found growing along several different coastal countries, I have many origin stories. I am said to have grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Elizabethans enjoyed me in tarts and stews, Thomas Jefferson planted me at Monticello, and Medieval cooks stuffed me into pies (History Beetroot and Greens 2015).
Early and wild forms of me are called Beta vulgaris maritima (sea beet), and occur along the shores of the Mediterranean - mostly along the coasts of Greece, Italy, and the northern coast of Africa (Beta Vulgaris Maritima). Humans originally ate my greens for their medicinal properties. Since ancient times, I have been used for dyes, teas, treating constipation, fevers, skin disorders, circulation, and even as an aphrodisiac. I am rich in antioxidants, folic acid, potassium, and fiber. I also contain a unique antioxidant called betalain, which is being studied as a potential weapon in the fight against cancer (History of Beetroot 2018)! I am a natural source of tryptophan and betaine, substances that promote a feeling of well-being. In the 19th century, women even used my rosy red juice to stain their lips and cheeks (an early form of make-up).
By the Roman era, I was cultivated to have a larger, sweeter bulb. In The Art of Cooking (about 1st Century A.D.), the Greek chef, Apicius, showed my diversity by using me in broths and as a side dish served with vinegar, mustard, and oil. Around the 16th Century, I was cultivated and consumed in Europe (Avey 2014). By the 1700s, my popularity spread throughout Russia, Asia, and Northeastern Europe. I was embraced as a dietary staple, and valued as one of the only vegetables that grew well throughout winter (History Beetroot and Greens 2015).
Due to my numerous health benefits and versatile storage qualities, I was the perfect vegetable for hard-working Eastern European farming families. I could be stored in sand or pickled and left in jars all winter. In Lithuania, I am used in several hearty and delicious dishes meant to provide a person with energy and nutrients. Some of the more popular recipes are vinigretas (a beet salad with sour cream and potatoes), pickled beets and onions, and saltibarsciai. Saltibarsciai is a cold beet soup, or borscht. The ingredients include hard-boiled eggs, buttermilk, peeled and shredded beets, salt, cucumber, chives, and dill. It can be served as breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a side of boiled potatoes.
I have been a part of the Kukucionis family’s diet for several generations. The Kukucionis family is originally from Lithuania, in a rural area outside of Vilnius. Angele Kukucionis is SN’s great grandmother who grew up on a farm with her 6 brothers and sisters. They were a hard-working family living a modest life. The women spent much of their time preparing meals for the men who worked on the farm all day. On hot summer days, the meals needed to be hearty, nutritious, and refreshing. Saltibarsciai is the perfect meal because it is full of protein, fat, and served cold. Over the years, it has remained a favorite family recipe.
Even though the ingredients are simple, cheap, and easily acquired from any farm, SN’s grandmother, Vida Damusis, considers this recipe to be priceless. The beet holds much sentimental value, because my taste reminds her of home and her family’s history. Vida has said, “The wonderful thing about saltibarsciai is that each batch is unique and never tastes exactly like the one before it. The recipe changes with which ingredients you like best, or how much you have on hand.”
“Discover the History of Beets.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service. Avey, Tori. Oct 8, 2014. www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-beets/.
“Beta Vulgaris Maritima.” Aegean Edibles. aegeanedibles.weebly.com/beta-vulgaris-maritima.html.
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| Table Beets - Google Images |
I am a sweet root vegetable with a deep red color and earthy taste. This earthy flavor comes from a substance called geosmin. Geosmin is responsible for the fresh soil scent in your garden after a rainfall (History of Beetroot 2018). Humans are very sensitive to geosmin, so people either love me or loathe me. Since early varieties of me were found growing along several different coastal countries, I have many origin stories. I am said to have grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Elizabethans enjoyed me in tarts and stews, Thomas Jefferson planted me at Monticello, and Medieval cooks stuffed me into pies (History Beetroot and Greens 2015).
Early and wild forms of me are called Beta vulgaris maritima (sea beet), and occur along the shores of the Mediterranean - mostly along the coasts of Greece, Italy, and the northern coast of Africa (Beta Vulgaris Maritima). Humans originally ate my greens for their medicinal properties. Since ancient times, I have been used for dyes, teas, treating constipation, fevers, skin disorders, circulation, and even as an aphrodisiac. I am rich in antioxidants, folic acid, potassium, and fiber. I also contain a unique antioxidant called betalain, which is being studied as a potential weapon in the fight against cancer (History of Beetroot 2018)! I am a natural source of tryptophan and betaine, substances that promote a feeling of well-being. In the 19th century, women even used my rosy red juice to stain their lips and cheeks (an early form of make-up).
By the Roman era, I was cultivated to have a larger, sweeter bulb. In The Art of Cooking (about 1st Century A.D.), the Greek chef, Apicius, showed my diversity by using me in broths and as a side dish served with vinegar, mustard, and oil. Around the 16th Century, I was cultivated and consumed in Europe (Avey 2014). By the 1700s, my popularity spread throughout Russia, Asia, and Northeastern Europe. I was embraced as a dietary staple, and valued as one of the only vegetables that grew well throughout winter (History Beetroot and Greens 2015).
Due to my numerous health benefits and versatile storage qualities, I was the perfect vegetable for hard-working Eastern European farming families. I could be stored in sand or pickled and left in jars all winter. In Lithuania, I am used in several hearty and delicious dishes meant to provide a person with energy and nutrients. Some of the more popular recipes are vinigretas (a beet salad with sour cream and potatoes), pickled beets and onions, and saltibarsciai. Saltibarsciai is a cold beet soup, or borscht. The ingredients include hard-boiled eggs, buttermilk, peeled and shredded beets, salt, cucumber, chives, and dill. It can be served as breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a side of boiled potatoes.
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| Saltibarsciai - Google Images |
Even though the ingredients are simple, cheap, and easily acquired from any farm, SN’s grandmother, Vida Damusis, considers this recipe to be priceless. The beet holds much sentimental value, because my taste reminds her of home and her family’s history. Vida has said, “The wonderful thing about saltibarsciai is that each batch is unique and never tastes exactly like the one before it. The recipe changes with which ingredients you like best, or how much you have on hand.”
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| Family Tree Illustration by SN |
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CITATIONS
“Discover the History of Beets.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service. Avey, Tori. Oct 8, 2014. www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-beets/.
“Beta Vulgaris Maritima.” Aegean Edibles. aegeanedibles.weebly.com/beta-vulgaris-maritima.html.
“Beta Vulgaris (PROTA).” Beta Vulgaris (PROTA) - PlantUse English. Mar 9, 2015. uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Beta_vulgaris_(PROTA).
“History of Beetroot - Historical Uses of Beetroots.” Beetroot History - Origin and Historical Uses of Beetroot. 2018. www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-history/beetroot-history/.
“History of Beetroot - Historical Uses of Beetroots.” Beetroot History - Origin and Historical Uses of Beetroot. 2018. www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-history/beetroot-history/.
“History of the Beetroot and Beet Greens.” Just Beet It. 2015. www.justbeetit.com/history/.
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