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The History of Carrots
Episode 106
What do Afghan purple roots, Roman aphrodisiacs, Dutch horticulturalists, and wartime propaganda have in common?
The answer: the carrot.
From its wild ancestor Daucus carota scattered across Europe 10,000 years ago, to its starring role as Britain’s unlikely weapon in the Second World War, the carrot’s journey has been anything but straightforward.
Once confused with parsnips, praised by Dioscorides for its medicinal powers, and supposedly beloved by Caligula for rather different reasons, the carrot slowly transformed from a bitter, scraggly root into the sweet orange staple we know today. Along the way it fed peasants, adorned Renaissance paintings, crossed oceans with colonists, and became the poster-child of Ministry of Food propaganda.
Join John and Patrick as they unearth the remarkable history of the carrot - a story of medicine, myth, empire, science, and survival - that reveals how this humble vegetable helped shape diets and imaginations across the world.
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Published on 1 week ago