Beetroot, called chukandar in Hindi, is the swollen red root of a species that also includes sugar beet, Swiss chard and leaf beet. In India it grows as a cool-season crop around Ooty, Hosur and the North Indian plains in winter, and goes into poriyal, salads, juices and halwa. Its deep red colour comes from betalain pigments, the same family that colours dragon fruit and amaranth.
- Botanical name
- Beta vulgaris L.
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Tamil
- Beetroot
- Hindi
- Chukandar
- Parts used
- Root after cooking, Leaf
- Habit
- Beet; not palak and not a children’s raw binge of the whole root
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Beetroot
It is a biennial grown as an annual, with a rosette of broad, glossy, heart-shaped leaves on long stalks.
In beetroot the leaf stalks and veins are usually red, and the root is round and deep red, often with paler rings inside.
In its second year it sends up a tall, leafy stem with small green flowers in spikes.
The seed is a corky cluster of several fruits, so one sown ‘seed’ can give several seedlings that must be thinned.
Spinach, Spinacia oleracea, has no swollen root and its leaves are thinner and more pointed.
Traditional use of Beetroot
Kitchen
Beetroot poriyal with coconut and mustard seeds is a common South Indian side dish, and grated beet goes into salads and raitas.
South Indian food practice
Kitchen
In Eastern Europe beetroot is the base of borscht soup, and in North India it is cooked into a sweet halwa.
Eastern European and North Indian food practice
Industry
Sugar beet was bred in eighteenth-century Prussia after a chemist showed beet contained the same sugar as cane, and it now supplies about a fifth of the world’s sugar.
European agricultural history
Modern notes on Beetroot
Beetroot is rich in nitrate, which the body turns into nitric oxide; trials of beetroot juice show modest drops in blood pressure and small gains in endurance.
Betanin, the main red pigment, is used as a natural food colouring, E162.
Some people pass pink or red urine after eating beetroot, a harmless effect called beeturia.
The leaves are rich in vitamin K, folate and iron but also contain much oxalate.
Beetroot safety
People with kidney stones should limit beet greens and large amounts of juice because of oxalate. Red urine after beetroot is harmless, but red urine without beetroot needs a doctor’s check.
Ecology and sourcing
Its wild ancestor, sea beet, grows on coasts of Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
The flowers are wind-pollinated, so seed crops of different beet types must be kept apart.
It tolerates some salt in soil, a trait inherited from the seaside ancestor.
Related plants
Also in Amaranthaceae
Questions about Beetroot
Are beetroot and sugar beet the same species?
Yes. Both are forms of Beta vulgaris.
Why does urine turn pink after beetroot?
Some people do not fully break down the red pigment.
Can beet leaves be eaten?
Yes. They are cooked like spinach or chard.
Is beetroot juice good for blood pressure?
Trials show small, short-term drops; it does not replace treatment.
When is Beetroot grown in India?
In the cool season on the plains and much of the year in the hills.
Sources
- Beta vulgaris L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q165191 (Beta vulgaris)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.