Carrots are biennial plants belonging to the Apiaceae family, which produces edible taproots of different colours: orange, yellow, white and purple. The name derives from the Greek karoton, where the root of the word (pun intended) is kor, �horn� as a reference to the roots horn-like shape.

A purple variety existed as far back as the 7th century in Afghanistan and was later introduced in Europe around 1100. It was only around the 16th and 17th century when the classic orange variety we know today started being cultivated in the Netherlands.