The chioggia beet, AKA Candy Stripe and Bull's Eye beet, is a biennial plant grown almost exclusively as a table beet.

Baby chioggia beets are entirely edible: roots, stems and leaves. The swollen dusty magenta globular root is topped with variegated pink and pistachio colored mid ribs and broad wavy green leaves. The flesh of the root is distinguished by its concentrated rings of deep pink and translucent white. Though sweet and tender, especially when harvested young, chioggia beets inherently contain the highest content of geosmin, an organic compound responsible for their deep earthy flavor and aroma. Cooked chioggia beets will not retain their brilliant coloring, rather fade to paler versions of their original colors.

Nutritional Value

Beet greens contain concentrated amounts of oxalic acid. Thus, when eaten in excess, they can interfere with the body's ability to metabolize calcium.

Serving Ideas

Steaming and roasting bring out the best flavor that the chioggia beet can offer. The skin should be peeled, which is easiest after it has cooked, as it simply slips away from its flesh. Chioggia beets pair well with cheese such as pecorino and gorgonzola, bacon, apples, fennel, citrus, potatoes, shallots, vinegar, walnuts, smoked and cured fish. Chioggia beets can be preserved via pickling, which also changes their flavor profile while contributing to the length of the root's shelf-life. Beets will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week or longer if their tops are removed.

Ethnic/Cultural Info

In Italy, in addition to growing the chioggia beet for fresh markets, it is cultivated for processing into beet juice. The beet juice is then used to color pasta.

Geography/History

All cultivated beets are descendents of the sea beet (B. maritima), a wild seashore plant found growing along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa. The chioggia beet is an Italian heirloom variety established circa 1840. It was named for the town in which it was first cultivated, the island fishing village of chioggia, near the Lagoon of Venice. It is an open-pollinated variety, allowing for the potential of cross-breeding once plants have flowered or have run to seed. Beet varieties should be grown biannually and be planted at least 1-2 miles apart to avoid accidental hybridization.

Seasons/Availability

Baby chioggia bunch beets are available year round.