DUKAI
The Ingredient Library

Vegetables

Carrot

Daucus carota subsp. sativus

The sweet orange root at the base of stocks, braises and roasting trays, at its best pulled young from loose soil.

Also
Carrots, Carota
Family
Apiaceae (carrot family)
Freshly pulled carrots with their feathery green tops, soil still on them, held with a bunch of beetroot

How to recognise it

In the garden and in the hand.

  • Freshly pulled carrots with their feathery green tops, soil still on them, held with a bunch of beetroot
    harvestedHarvested: orange taproots with feathery tops, straight from the soil.
Growth habit
A rosette of feathery leaves above a single tapering taproot; in its second year it sends up a tall flower stem.
Leaves
Finely divided, feathery, fern-like leaves on slender stalks, smelling of carrot when crushed.
Stem
Leaf stalks only in the first year; a ribbed, branching flower stem up to a metre in the second.
Flower
Flat white umbels, like lace, only if the plant is left to bolt.
Colour
Orange roots on most varieties; purple, yellow and white varieties exist.
Aroma
Clean, sweet and earthy, strongest in the leaves when crushed.
Texture
Crisp, dense root.
Distinguishing features
The feathery foliage smelling of carrot above an orange taproot.
Common lookalikes
The foliage resembles other members of the carrot family, some of them poisonous (hemlock among them). A photograph of the leaves is not enough to identify a wild plant; in the garden, identity comes from the sown seed and the root.

CautionNever eat a wild plant on the strength of carrot-like leaves.

In the garden

Growing and harvest.

Conditions
Deep, loose, stone-free soil, full sun and even moisture; thin the seedlings so the roots can swell.
Season
Sown in succession from early spring to late summer in temperate gardens, harvested two to four months later. Seasons vary by region and climate.
Harvested part
The taproot; the young leaves can be used sparingly.
Ready when
The shoulder of the root shows at the soil surface at the width you want; pull one to check.

In the kitchen

Flavour and use.

Flavour
Sweet and earthy, sweeter when roasted or slowly braised.
Texture
Crisp raw; tender and yielding when cooked.
Edible parts
The root, raw or cooked; the leaves in small amounts.
Preparations
Grated raw, Diced for soffritto and stocks, Roasted whole, Glazed, Puréed
Techniques
Roasting, Braising, Glazing, Puréeing, Pickling
Pairs with
Cumin, Orange, Butter, Honey, Coriander, Yoghurt
How Paul uses it
A baby carrot with purée and jus sits beside the duck on the Canadian High Commissioner chapter, one of the three plated dishes photographed there.

Selection and storage

Choosing, keeping, preserving.

Choosing
Firm, smooth, bright roots that snap cleanly; fresh green tops if attached.
Storage
Remove the tops, which draw moisture from the root, and refrigerate in a bag for two to three weeks.
Preserving
Pickled, fermented in brine, or blanched and frozen.

Traditional uses, nutrition and current evidence

What is known, and how well.

Each statement carries its evidence level in words and a numbered source. Nothing here recommends an ingredient as a treatment.

Nutrition

  • Established nutritional fact

    Carrots are one of the richest common sources of beta-carotene, a provitamin A carotenoid, and provide fibre, potassium and vitamin K. [1] [2]

Traditional use

  • Traditional use, not clinically established

    Grown for the root since at least the tenth century, and long associated in folk belief with eyesight; the true relationship is the vitamin A role described below. [2]

Current evidence

  • Supported by human research

    The body converts beta-carotene from foods to vitamin A, which is required for normal vision and immune function. Eating carrots supports adequate vitamin A intake; it does not improve eyesight beyond normal. [2]

Safety and cautions

Before you cook with it.

  • Carrot can cause allergic reactions, often as itching of the mouth in people sensitised to birch pollen; anyone with a known reaction should avoid it.
  • Very large intakes of carotene-rich foods tint the skin yellow-orange (carotenaemia), which is harmless and fades when intake falls.
  • The feathery leaves resemble poisonous relatives in the wild; identification by leaves alone is unsafe.

This ingredient profile is provided for culinary and general educational purposes. It is not medical advice and does not recommend an ingredient as a treatment. Anyone who is pregnant, managing a medical condition, allergic, or taking medication should consult an appropriate healthcare professional before using concentrated herbal preparations or supplements.

Elsewhere on DUKAI

Also in the library

Sources and review

  1. 1USDA FoodData Central, Carrots, rawNational food-composition database
  2. 2National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids fact sheetGovernment health agency
  3. 3Ballmer-Weber BK, Wuthrich B, Wangorsch A, Fotisch K, Altmann F, Vieths S. Carrot allergy: double-blinded, placebo-controlled food challenge and identification of allergens. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2001;108(2):301-307.Peer-reviewed clinical study

Sources reviewed 9 September 2026. Culinary and general educational information.

Photographs are from Paul Dukai's own archive.