Beet is a vegetable that is called ‘beets’ in the United States of America and Canada, and in Britain, as ‘beetroot’.It has an earthy taste or earthy flavor. Beets are the taproot portion of a beet plant and some other forms of beets are known as golden beets, garden beets, red beet, table beet, dinner beet.The deep purple-colored roots of beets can be eaten raw beets, and roasted beets, and boiled beets and can be mixed with any vegetable. In Eastern Europe, beet pickles are eaten. In Indian cuisine also, beet is cooked and chopped. Spiced beet is common and it is eaten as ‘salad’ that is mixed with onions, carrots. Some people grow beet in yellow-colored for home consumption. Beets as a whole can be eaten with their leafy portion because young leaves can be used for raw salads and mature leaves can be served as steamed or boiled leaves and the texture is quite similar to spinach. Beets have an earthy flavor or earthy taste and are somewhat bitter in taste. The taste of beets is quite bitter and one should add coconut oil to lessen the earthy smell and taste of beets, which are quite challenging to some but roasted beets enhance the sweetness with a more intense flavor. It erupts with a tender, potato-like texture. Boiling is the other faster and easier way of cooking raw beets. Beets can be harvested biennially and can be peeled, boiled, steamed, roasted. Pickled beet is a traditional food in some countries. To some people, beets taste dirt-like because of their flavor. Beets taste like dirt as they have a compound called ‘geosmin’ which means ‘dirt smell’. The geosmin can be made by many organisms that live in the soil. In Russia, beets are used to produce sugar also. Adding beet to salads can make an awesome recipe to eat. They are good for the skin but do not have sweetness, though they are easy to cook.You can also read what do parsnips taste like and what do persimmons taste like.Why do beets taste like dirt?The taste of beets is dirt-like to some people because of a chemical called geosmin which means ‘dirt smell’, an organic compound produced by various organisms, actinobacteria called streptomyces.Humans can smell it in the air after rain. Beet should be tried by marinating them with garlic, scallion, vinegar, citrus zest, and plenty of salt. Beets need a strong, sharp agent to counteract and complement their dirt-like taste. Beets have high oxalic acid content and eating in large amounts can cause kidney stones. Golden beets have a milder flavor and can be eaten raw or boiled or roasted. Beets can be converted into pickles that contain vitamins, minerals, potassium, calcium, and iron. Beet, when fermented, gets rich in probiotics which again are very good for health. Before including beetroot juice or beets into their diet, anybody with low blood pressure or who is presently on blood pressure medicine should discuss with a medical expert. The family of vegetables to which beets and radishes belong contains a unique chemical setup that the sugar and starches give beet earthy taste. You can increase the sweetness by adding any sweet compound.Why do beets taste so bad?Many people compare eating beets to chewing dirt in their mouth which is understandable because beets taste like dirt and they are grown in dirt.It depends upon people also as people either like beet or detests beet because it tastes like dirt. One should wash beets fully before eating them. Geosmin is responsible for the earthy flavor of beet which is produced by actinobacteria called Streptomyces means beets taste like dirt because of the organism produced in the soil which gives it that earthy taste that we found in mushrooms, grapes, chard, and carrot. Beets can be paired with other vegetables which are sweet, fresh flavored, and while boiling beet, we can add salt or vinegar or red wine to water, it will lessen the earthy taste. Beet greens are healthy and versatile you can steam them, sauté them, add them to stir-fries and egg scrambles, these are some amazing things by which one can cook beets. What tastes similar to beets?There are many vegetables that can replace beets like carrots, parsnips, red cabbage, spinach, sweet potatoes, celeriac, turnip, Chioggia beets, which have a similar taste of them. It may be a challenging task because beet’s taste is unique which no other vegetable can replace.Root vegetables are common in our daily cooking but before cooking beets, prepare your beets not just in a salad but also in soup, stews, and other dishes. Also choosing the right herbs can make the difference in the preparation of beets we cook daily. Beets are known for their bitter taste and one can add similar taste vegetables like carrots, red cabbage, spinach, sweet potato, turnip, celeriac swiss chard, which are a good choice for replacing beets in cooking. Moreover, beets are one of the many natural green vegetables which are used in so many recipes because you can be steaming a beet or roast a beet or boil a beet. Being a rooted vegetable, the herbs in it are very important for people as it contains vitamins and minerals. The pulp of this root vegetable has a sweet taste and is dark red in color. It can be replaced by other vegetables which come very close to beets. Chioggia beets are another which can be replaced as these can be eaten raw or cooked. Carrots are another vegetable which can replace beet as it is delicious, healthy and can be easily found for cooking and can be used both cooked or raw. Carrots can be added to salad, stews, soups, or any other recipe where beets are necessary. Parsnips is another root vegetable that comes close to beet but the taste holds a unique spiciness to it. Red cabbage is another alternative to beet with its texture, benefits, and earthy flavor it can be added in salad, soups, and stews and is healthy and nutritious. Spinach is another alternative for beets as a green vegetable used in our diets. Spinach is both healthy and nutritious like beets. Beets can be replaced by sweet potatoes, another very useful vegetable. Turnip and celeriac are other useful vegetables that can be replaced by beets as they contain less sugar, have health benefits, and can be used where beets are used.What does beetroot juice taste like?Beetroot juice has intensely sweet and earthy flavor with bitterness. Beet with vitamin B12 tastes like beets sweet and earthy. Beets are a very good source of potassium, vitamin c.Fermented beet juice may be unpleasant to drink on its own so mix it with soups or blend it with other fruits like banana and it will taste better. One can mix it with apple juice or smoothen the earthy taste. Bananas pair well with beet juice. Because beets are strong in vitamin C, some believe they are beneficial to the skin, even claiming that they help guard against symptoms of aging such as wrinkles. Beetroots have always been considered a superfood. Beetroot juice for hair has been known to prevent hair loss as well. Beets are rich in natural chemicals called nitrates. Beet juice may boost stamina, improve blood flow, and help lower blood pressure, as some research shows. The red pigment which the beetroot has actually come from an antioxidant which is called betalain. Beetroot has high magnesium, vitamin C, and other nutrients content. Consuming beet juice appears to be especially beneficial for people with diabetes. Do canned beets actually taste like beets?Canned beets unlike some other canned veggies retain their distinct earthy and sweet flavor, like fresh beets. Canned beets have flavors of sweetness and freshness which do not resemble much to the natural flavor of beets root.The crunch is muted and that seems to impact the flavor of the beet. Canned beetroot has a much milder flavor and is even less likely to retain the ‘dirt smell’ flavor they may contain as they are from the soil. Beets are a root vegetable and canned varieties may contain added sugar compounds for long shelf life. But people can have canned juice or beet as a dish because you don’t have to peel the upper layer and all over the world is available. Beets retain their flavor like fresh beet when canned or frozen and beets also maintain the nutritional value like fresh beet giving a good source of iron, folate and fiber, and oil. Canned beets are very simple to serve with salads or other herbs and greens. You can also mix them with a splash of lemon juice. Canned beets have the ability to retain the flavor and so can replace the cooked fresh beets in different dishes and recipes. Canned beet is sweeter.How to eat beets if you do not like the taste?Beets with an earthy taste can be eaten in juice form. We can add some other veggies with it like beets with citrus, apples, or berries to mask the ’earthy’ taste. Beets go very well with green herbs and salads because they make good a dish or recipes with rich flavorsYou can make the taste of beet less earthy by peeling and boiling them and then slicing them into small chunks to marinate them in salted vinegar. Beets taste earthy as the earthy taste usually remains unless you mix in a bit of coconut oil which isn’t a bad thing. While boiling them, you can add salt and red wine to the water. Then there are things one can easily prepare to improve the flavor a bit, one excellent alternative is to combine your juice with other types of juice, such as apple juice and bananas because they mix well with beet juice. Beets do not need much preparation, one can also be peeled before steaming if desired.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what do beets taste like, then why not take a look at what do brussel sprouts taste like or what do chestnuts taste like?
Beet is a vegetable that is called ‘beets’ in the United States of America and Canada, and in Britain, as ‘beetroot’.