Beetroot Dip

Beetroot has been eaten since at least ancient Rome, where the Romans valued it both as food and as medicine. The Roman encyclopaedist Pliny the Elder wrote about its cultivation and medicinal uses in the first century CE. Before modern selective breeding, the beetroot was much smaller and stringier than today's cultivated varieties; medieval European cooks primarily used the leaves as vegetables, with the root considered secondary. The development of large, sweet, globe-shaped beets through 19th-century agricultural breeding made the root the primary attraction.

The pigment that gives beetroot its extraordinary deep red-purple colour is a class of compounds called betalains — specifically betacyanins. Unlike most red plant pigments, betalains are not anthocyanins; they are water-soluble nitrogen-containing compounds that are also found in dragon fruit, amaranth and bougainvillea flowers. Betalains are pH-sensitive, which is why beetroot turns bright pink in an acidic environment like lemon juice or vinegar.

Roasted beetroot, blended with yoghurt, garlic and a splash of lemon juice into a vivid, earthy dip, is a modern Levantine mezze staple. The roasting caramelises the natural sugars — beets contain more sugar than any other vegetable except sugar cane and sugar beet — creating a sweetness that balances the tang of the yoghurt. Drizzled with olive oil and served with Turkish bread, it is one of the most visually striking dips on any meze table.