The red beet is a tuber which has been used to flavour meat dishes since ancient times. Although many prefer to eat it raw, in Italian cuisine it is often cooked. What makes it
unique is betanin, a characteristic pigment that makes it bright red.
The red beet, also known as beetroot or red turnip, is a biennial herbaceous plant
belonging to the Chenopodiaceae family, which is native to North Africa, but is nowadays cultivated throughout the Mediterranean area.