The characteristic flavor of carrots is due to terpenes —the same terpenes that are referenced in the context of cannabis. These aromatic compounds are built from five-carbon building blocks that enzymes combine together to create slightly differing terpenes. The notes terpenes give are often described as piney, citrusey, floral, and herbaceous.
There were some purple skinned carrots in the rainbow carrots we received in the last share. These ones are purple all the way through. The color comes from anthocyanins, the same pigment that gives grapes their color. I think the flavor is noticeably different as well, with more floral notes than in orange carrots.
*Edit: I wrote this before eating one. These carrots aren’t entirely purple! Under the purple skin they have a striking yellow ring along with a purple core.
Orange carrots are actually a somewhat recent development. The color comes from the pigment carotene which is a precursor for vitamin A, meaning that our bodies convert it into vitamin A. Purple, red, white, and yellow carrots have been eaten since medieval times, however the orange, carotene-rich carrots that are prevelant today seem to have developed in Holland in the 17th century. There are stories of the orange carrot being a point of pride for Dutch people as they often refer to their monarchy as the House of Orange, after William of Orange.
