On February 3, Americans celebrate another culinary holiday – National Carrot Cake Day (National Carrot Cake Day). This may sound like a joke, but in the US, the carrot dish has its own celebration.
It is known that this root crop has been cultivated in the world for four thousand years, and they began to grow it in Afghanistan, and today more than 60 varieties of carrots have been bred. Moreover, at first it was grown not for the sake of a root crop, but for the sake of fragrant leaves and seeds, which were added to food and used as a medicine. The very first mention of the use of carrot root in food is found in ancient sources in the 1st century.
Carrots were brought to Europe approximately in the 10-13th centuries, a little later they came to America. In Russia, dishes using carrots are found in Domostroi editions of the 16th century. Today, this root vegetable continues to be one of the most popular vegetables in Russian cuisine and is one of the ten major economically important vegetable crops in the world.
After all, the fruits of carrots are used not only raw and in the preparation of main dishes, but also as a seasoning – a spice – in marinades, canned food, candied fruits, liqueur and liqueur and confectionery industries. Carrot juice and carotene are obtained from carrots. By the way, according to the EU directive, carrots are both a fruit and a vegetable at the same time.
As for the “hero of the occasion”, it also has a long history – similar desserts were prepared in Europe in the Middle Ages. Due to the large amount of sugar contained in carrots, they began to use it in baked goods as an affordable sweetener (sugar was then an expensive product, especially for ordinary people). So, according to history, the carrot cake appeared, which today has become one of the favorite American desserts.
By the way, Carrot cake gained the greatest popularity in the 1970s-1980s, when mass fads began in the United States towards a healthy lifestyle and a decrease in sugar consumption. Since then, he has not lost ground. Carrot cake is said to be “healthier” than a traditional American cake made with butter, whipped cream and sugar, as its main ingredient is grated carrots. In addition, nuts and raisins are often added to it. The cream for carrot cake is traditionally made from cream cheese, not butter, which adds a unique taste to it.
Therefore, carrot cake does not go out of style. Have you tried it yet? Today’s holiday is a great occasion to enjoy yourself and your friends with this delicious dessert.