Carrots (胡萝卜) are grown throughout the world. When people think about carrots, they may think of a picture of a long, thin, orange-colored vegetable. Yet carrots come in many different sizes, shapes and colors.
This summer, food stores in Britain will have a new product: purple-colored (紫色) carrots. However, purple carrots are not really new. They are simply returning to their true color.
Carrots have a history of thousands of years. Purple carrots are native to the Middle East. People in ancient Greece and Rome used the plants as a medicine, not as a food. About four hundred years ago carrots became orange. At that time, farmers in the Netherlands produced orange carrots to remember their national color.
Carrots are easy to grow and harvest. They grow best in deep, rich soil. Carrots have a pleasing taste. People eat uncooked carrots alone or with other vegetables. Cooked carrots also are popular. Orange carrots can produce Vitamin A, which is important for healthy skin and eyes.
Farmers in eastern England are growing the new purple-colored carrots. The vegetables are purple outside but orange inside. It is said that the purple carrots can protect us against cancer. Carrot buyers in Britain soon will have other colors to choose from, including yellow, red, and even black and white.
