Carrots (Daucus carota) originated in what is today Afghanistan. The wild parents of our modern carrots still grow there; I saw them flourishing on road verges when I visited the country.
The wild species, however, is a far cry from what we know as carrots; the plant is thin with branched roots that are white or purple. These are pungent and bitter-tasting, and were used as a spice or for medicinal purposes.
A yellow mutation was later discovered and cultivated. Apparently, the orange colour we know so well was developed from this, mainly by the Dutch in the 17th century (because of the orange in their flag, it is believed).
Carrots now come in a range of colours that include white, red, orange, purple and ‘black’ (in reality a very dark purple). The purple colouration can range from skin deep to a thick layer. When the carrot is sliced, the thick purple layer with orange in the centre looks very attractive.
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