Beets seem to be pretty polarizing for people. I would have thought most people don’t like them too much but I’ve been surprised by how many people tell us they love beets. The earthy flavor of beets is due to a molecule called geosmin. It’s also actually present in soil. When it rains, geosmin from the earth is aerosolized which creates the pleasant characteristic smell of rain (we’re extremely sensitive to it, so it doesn’t take much for us to be able to smell it) so maybe I shouldn’t be too surprised that people also like beets.
From On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee:
“People have eaten this plant since prehistory, initially its leaves, then the underground part of specialized varieties. In Greek times beet roots were long, either white or red, and sweet; Theophrastus reported around 300 BCE that they were pleasant enough to eat raw. The fat red type is first depicted in the 16th century.”
Beets are another crop that humans have been eating since prehistory. Shredded beets are great on salads, giving a beautiful pop of color. I actually prefer golden beets to the standard red since you don’t have to worry about them staining everything. People will often roast beets, but I prefer to braise them in 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar. The acid really helps the sweetness of the beets pop. Don’t worry about peeling them before cooking, as they’re much easier to peel after being cooked (so easy I like to use a spoon for it).
