Beetroot

Beta vulgaris var. rubra · Root vegetable

4 varieties40 pairings

Beetroot is the swollen, deep-crimson taproot of the beet plant (Beta vulgaris var. rubra), a cool-season root vegetable prized for an earthy-sweet flavour. It is eaten raw and grated, boiled, roasted, pickled or pressed for juice, and stains everything it touches a vivid magenta.

Picking a good onedrag

Hard and heavy, just liftedWrinkled, sprouting, soft

Shop firmThe all-rounder: roast, boil, pickle, grate.Everyday best

CrownStubs cut short, dry and pale

In the handFirm, no give at the shoulder

Skin and tailTaut and dry, a few scuffs and scars

Smell at the crownDry and earthy, almost nothing

What to look for, from hard and heavy, just lifted to wrinkled, sprouting, soft.

What one gives you

67%

Usable yield

82 g · crown and skin off

122 g

Typical weight

one specimen

60%

Juice yield

600 ml a kilo

Keeping ittap a band

A domestic fridge holds it about 12× longer than the counter.

Humidity

98–100%

Beetroot skin is thin: bag it or bury it in damp sand, and bare in a dry fridge it wrinkles and goes rubbery within a fortnight.

Airflow

Still, not sealed

A perforated bag or a box with the lid ajar; sealed tight, condensation gathers on the skin and soft rot follows.

Preparing