Usually, the deep purple roots of beetroot are eaten boiled, roasted, or raw, and either alone or combined with any salad vegetable. The green, leafy portion of the beetroot is also edible. The young leaves can be added raw to salads, while the mature leaves are most commonly served boiled or steamed, in which case they have a taste and texture similar to
spinach. Beetroot can be roasted, boiled or steamed, peeled, and then eaten warm with or without butter; cooked, pickled, and then eaten cold as a
condiment; or peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad. Pickled beetroot is a traditional food in many countries.
Australia and New Zealand In
Australia and
New Zealand, sliced pickled beetroot is a common ingredient in traditional
hamburgers.
Eastern Europe In
Eastern Europe, beetroot soup, such as
borscht [Ukrainian] and
barszcz czerwony [Polish], is common. In
Ukraine, a related dish called
shpundra is also common; this hearty beetroot stew, often made with pork belly or ribs, is sometimes referred to as a thicker version of borscht. In
Poland and Ukraine, beetroot is combined with
horseradish to form
ćwikła or
бурячки (buryachky), which is traditionally eaten with cold cuts and sandwiches, but often also added to a meal consisting of meat and potatoes. Similarly, in
Serbia, beetroot (referred to by the local name
cvekla) is used as a winter salad, seasoned with salt and vinegar, with meat dishes. As an addition to horseradish, it is also used to produce the "red" variety of
chrain, a condiment in
Ashkenazi Jewish,
Hungarian, Polish,
Lithuanian,
Russian, and Ukrainian cuisine. Cold beetroot soup called
ŝaltibarščiai is often eaten in Lithuania. Traditionally it consists of kefir, boiled beetroot, cucumber, dill, spring onions and can be eaten with boiled eggs and potatoes. is a traditional Russian
cold soup made from leftover beet greens and chopped beetroots, typically with bread and
kvass added. Botvinya got its name from the Russian
botva, which means "root vegetable greens", referring to beet plant leaves. , or
svyokolnik, is yet another Russian beet-based soup, typically distinguished from borscht in that vegetables for svekolnik are cooked raw and not sautéed, while many types of borscht typically include sautéed carrots and other vegetables. Svekolnik got its name from
svyokla, the Russian word for "beet." Sometimes, various types of cold borscht are also called "svekolnik".
India In
Indian cuisine, chopped, cooked, spiced beetroot is a common side dish. Yellow-colored beetroots are grown on a very small scale for home consumption.
North America Besides standard fruit and vegetable dishes, certain varieties of beets are sometimes used as a garnish to a
tart.
Northern Europe A common dish in Sweden and elsewhere in the Nordic countries is
biff à la Lindström, a variant of meatballs or burgers, with chopped or grated beetroot added to the
minced meat. Swedish
pyttipanna is also traditionally served with pickled beetroot. In
Northern Germany, beetroot is mashed with
Labskaus or added as its side dish. == Industrial production and other uses ==