In fact, these three groups of vegetables have more similarities than differences: they all grow underground and have some reserve organ that develops and gives rise to tasty foods. The main distinction is that the organ increases in size in different places in each of these groups. Plants such as carrots, cassava, radishes and sweet potatoes have a much more developed taproot. In a second category are the species that accumulate energy in modified stems.
This is the case of tubers such as yams and potatoes, in which the reserve organ grows in stem projections and generally has an oval shape, of rhizomes such as ginger, which originates from more horizontal branches, and of bulbs such as onions and garlic, in which the organ is conical and is born on the stalk of the stem. “In any case, the growth of reserve tissue mainly serves to give energy to the plant at the beginning of its life, when it still cannot produce its own food through photosynthesis”, says agronomist Carlos Alberto Lopes, from the Brazilian Research Company (Embrapa) in Brasília (DF). These vegetables are excellent choices in a healthy menu. With 100 grams of boiled potatoes, for example, you can supply 7% of your daily protein needs, get a reasonable amount of niacin – a B-complex vitamin that helps in the health of your skin, nerves and digestive system – and get a good level of potassium and phosphorus.
dive into it
At the bookshop:
Agriculture: Latin American Starchy Tuberoses, Marney Pascoli Cereda, Cargill Foundation, 2002
Popular names mix four groups of vegetables, all of them energetic and nutritious
POTATO (Tuber)
Native to the Andes, where it has been cultivated for 8,000 years, the potato is the fourth most consumed food in the world. In Brazil, six varieties of the Solanum tuberosum species give rise to the potato and the potato appetizer. The difference happens at harvest time: the tubers that have grown little are sold as small potatoes. Larger ones, like mashed potatoes
CARA (tuber)
In the North and Northeast, species of the genus Dioscorea are known as yams, but in the rest of the country they are known as yams (the yams in these areas are of the genus Colocasia, also known as taro). A good substitute for potatoes and a source of vitamin B, yam is used in soups and stews.
GINGER (rhizome)
Due to its spicy flavor, ginger is used in small amounts in pies, bread, ice cream, sweets and in oriental cuisine. Contains good amounts of niacin, a B-complex vitamin that helps the skin and helps with digestion and the nervous system
RADISH (root)
This vegetable is usually eaten raw in salads or prepared as a pickle. It has vitamin C, which increases the body’s resistance to infections and prevents scurvy, a disease characterized by bleeding. In addition, it is low in calories: 100 grams of the product contain only 23 calories
SWEET POTATOES (root)
Unlike its “salted cousin,” the sweet potato is a root, not a tuber. Slightly sweet and consumed at June festivals, it can have white, cream or yellowish pulp. This last type is rich in beta-carotene, an important substance in the fight against malnutrition.
CARROT (root)
This vegetable began to be cultivated in Europe and Asia more than 2 thousand years ago. Well adapted to cold climates, the carrot grows mainly in the southern states of the country. Its importance lies in its richness in vitamin A (which protects teeth, nails, hair and skin) and mineral salts (which help fight aging).
CASSAVA (root)
This plant of Brazilian origin was already cultivated by the Indians when the Portuguese arrived in 1500. Because it is very energetic (100 grams of cassava have 149 calories), it is considered a strategic food against hunger. Mandioquinha, also called baroa potato, is a tasty root rich in carbohydrates.
ONION (bulb)
Cultivated since antiquity in Central Asia, onion is the third most planted vegetable in Brazil, behind only tomatoes (1st) and potatoes (2nd). It is a vegetable rich in minerals, especially phosphorus, iron and calcium, in addition to having reasonable amounts of B vitamins.