The carrot (Daucus carota) gets its name from the French word
carotte, which in turn comes from the Latin carota. It has been known
since ancient times and is believed to have originated in Afghanistan
and adjacent areas.
Our common carrot is called the Mediterranean type, because it has
long been known in Mediterranean countries and was probably developed
there from kinds carried from Asia Minor. In the Far East is still
another form, the Japanese carrot, that is commonly three feet long
or more.
The carrot was certainly cultivated in the Mediterranean area before
the Christian Era, but it was not important as a food until much
later. By the 13th century carrots were being grown in Germany and
France. At that time the plant was known also in China, where it was
supposed to have come from Persia. In England, around 1600, carrots
were common enough to be grown as a farm crop as well as in small
garden plots.
European voyagers carried the carrot to America soon after discovery
of the New World. It was grown by the struggling colonists at
Jamestown, Virginia, in 1609. Twenty years later the Pilgrims, or
those who followed them closely, were growing it in Massachusetts.
Did I get any attention?
