What do beets taste like?

[Michael in FtW]

Beets are sweet and rank up there just above carrots for natural sugar content (6.75% vs 5% for carrots).

Earthy? I think all root vegetables, and most greens, are a little earthy - but if washed well, before preparing by whatever method you use, they should not taste like dirt.

I like them roasted or pickled the most.

This is a recipe I picked up from a little Mom-n-Pop Russian restaurant in Austin, TX back about 1973 - and my kids loved them when they were little:

1 Can/Jar pickled beets
2-4 Tablespoons butter (sliced thin)
2 big dollops sour cream

Heat the pickled beets in a saucepan until nice and hot ... pour off most of the juice ... add the butter and stir to melt ... add the sour cream and stir well ... remove from the heat. Let sit for about 3-4 minutes to let the sour cream get hot.

Sweet and tangy - doesn't taste like dirt at all!

[MexicoKaren]

I love beets. DH does not share my affection for them, but I am able to slip them past him as part of a salad occasionally. I expecially like them roasted, with other vegetables, with EVOO and herbs. Jeekinz, your wife's salad sounds very good. I think I'll have to try it!

[Jeff G.]

Beets are yummy. Raw they are earthy sweet as others have said. I don't particularly care for raw beets. I love pickled beets(there are good ones on the market, or make your own). A real treat is Harvard beets!!!

I also love a good Borcht (Never had cold Borcht.. I serve warm with sour cream).

[bethzaring]

whereas dirt is not the main flavor component for me, dirt is definitely an underriding flavor in beets for me. I do not detect an underlying dirt flavor in other root crops like potatoes or parsnips.

People's taste perceptions are different. Some people think green peppers are bitter, I do not.

[LindaBB]

I am English - I love beets boiled and served in vinegar, hate the American way of putting sugar on them, but then I hate most sugar.

I have a sandwich three times a week with cheddar cheese and wholemeal bread - lovely! Yum:-)

[Constance]

Beets taste and smell like the earth, but not like dirt. It's hard to describe exactly what I mean, but I love them...and can't imagine anyone NOT liking them.

[David Cottrell]

Originally Posted by LindaBB

I am English - I love beets boiled and served in vinegar, hate the American way of putting sugar on them, but then I hate most sugar.

I have a sandwich three times a week with cheddar cheese and wholemeal bread - lovely! Yum:-)

Would never have thought of this - must try!

[Angie]

Mom use to put them in Chocolate cake and make Beet-nik-bars!

[Callisto in NC]

My mother scarred me for life and I will never eat another beet again. She used to serve the canned beets twice a week when I was little. Just the thought adds to my need that I already had to throw up. I hate the things. Raw, pickled, pretending to be something else. Beets are just nasty in my book.

[quicksilver]

Originally Posted by Angie

Mom use to put them in Chocolate cake and make Beet-nik-bars!

Okay. So the next question is:
But what did she put in her brownies. Hee, hee.