root vegetable

root vegetable, in cuisine and nutrition, a part of a plant grown underground and eaten as food. Root vegetables are a diverse group of foods, including culinary staples such as potatoes, onions, and carrots. Because “root vegetable” is a culinary category rather than a botanical one, it is composed not only of true roots but also bulbs, corms, rhizomes, tubers, and other underground plant structures. Many root vegetables are highly nutritious, containing both important nutrients and calories, often in the form of starch.

Types and examples

True root vegetables are those whose edible part consists of the root of a plant. Many are taproots and may be tapering in shape, such as carrots, daikon, and parsnips, or more bulbous, such as beets and turnips. Some are considered tuberous root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and cassava, and are highly developed storage organs.

Britannica Quiz

Fruit or Vegetable? A Quiz

Some root vegetables are tubers, which are not roots but modified stems that grow underground. Like tuberous roots, tubers store energy in the form of starch. The most widely cultivated tuber is the potato, though the yam is also a key crop in much of the world. Other edible tubers include the Jerusalem artichoke and jícama.

Rhizomes, such as ginger, sacred lotus, wasabi, and turmeric, are modified stems and typically have a more rootlike appearance that tubers, from which they are botanically distinct. Unlike other root vegetables, rhizomes generally grow horizontally through soil.

Corms, such as taro and water chestnut, are modified plant stems and have modified leaf structures similar to those found in bulbs. They characteristically feature a basal plate from which roots might grow and often have papery skins, called tunics. Because they are both bulblike and tuberlike, they are sometimes called bulbo-tubers.

Bulbs are also modified plant stems with a basal plate that may grow roots and a papery outer skin, but, unlike in corms, the fleshy part consists of enlarged leaves that are compressed into tight layers, called scales. The most familiar bulb vegetables are those of the genus Allium, such as onions and garlic. Onions are among the oldest cultivated vegetables and come in many varieties, including sweet yellow onions, shallots, and sharp red onions.

Uses

Some root vegetables are among the most widely cultivated foods in the world. Like other vegetables, they tend to contain a wide variety of nutrients important for health. Some, such as radishes and carrots, can be eaten fresh, while most are cooked in a variety of preparations. Many are staple foods eaten almost every day, and they may serve as the primary source of calories in some places, especially in tropical climates where many cereal grains cannot grow. As energy storage organs for plants, starchy root vegetables like potatoes, cassava, taro, and yams are high in carbohydrates. Many of these are made into flours and serve as the chief ingredients for regional cuisines across the globe.

Other root vegetables, like garlic, radishes, wasabi, and ginger, are highly valued for their flavour and are sometimes considered spices. Some root vegetables, such as beetroot, sacred lotus, sweet potatoes, and onions, are quite versatile, providing not only edible roots but also greens.

One reason root vegetables are so successful as crops is that they tend to be hardy. They also tend to require relatively little space or resources to produce. Many can be harvested at any size, making them good choices for areas with short growing seasons. Many of these plant structures serve to help plants overwinter or survive other difficult conditions, and thus root vegetables often store well, especially in root cellars. Some root vegetables, such as the rutabaga, can be kept in cool, dark areas for months without spoilage. In general, the harder a root vegetable is, the longer it can survive storage. Because of their hardiness to cold and durability once harvested, root vegetables are historically important foods in areas that experience cold winters that impact the cultivation of other food plants.