Danggeun (carrot)

The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a biennial of the carrot family, native to Central Asia or Asia Minor. In Korean it is also called hongdangmu, and older texts used Sino-Korean names such as danglabok and honabok, "Tang radish" and "foreign radish." The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture suggests it began to be grown in Korea around the sixteenth century; it first appears in writing in the late-Joseon references Jaemulbo and Imwon gyeongjeji. For a long time it was thought of as horse fodder and little eaten, before it became a common raw and cooked vegetable.

Korean growers favor short and medium-length roots, the so-called three-chi and five-chi carrots. Carrots are grown in several mainland regions, but Jeju is the only place in Korea where they are harvested through the winter. Most come from Gujwa-eup on the island's northeast, where dark, free-draining volcanic ash soil and a long eight-to-nine-month growing season are credited with unusually sweet, fragrant roots. Korean press puts Jeju's share at around 60 percent of domestic production, almost all of it from Gujwa, with harvest running from about November to April and February considered the sweetest time. Imported carrots, mostly from China, account for a large part of the market.

In banchan and everyday dishes, carrot is used as much for color as for flavor. Thin matchsticks are stir-fried for japchae and gimbap, slipped into namul platters, chopped into egg rolls and pancake batters, and cut in chunks for braises such as galbi-jjim and for Chuncheon-style dakgalbi, where it is stir-fried with cabbage, sweet potato and rice cakes.

• Beta-carotene: Carrots are one of the richest common sources of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A; per the Korean Food Composition Table, 100 g of raw carrot supplies about 460 µg RAE.
• Fiber and potassium: Carrots also provide dietary fiber and potassium for very few calories.
• Harmless color change: MedlinePlus notes that eating large amounts of beta-carotene can turn the skin yellow-orange; this is not dangerous and fades once intake drops.
• Cutting and vitamin C: Korean references note that carrots contain an enzyme that readily breaks down vitamin C once they are grated or cut, so prepare them shortly before use.