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Blog
Beeting the drum
Posted Wednesday, 8 February 2012 / Written by The Twig
We received an email this week asking us to consider blogging about beetroot. The hook that we could hang the piece on, apparently, was Valentine's Day because beetroot was an ideal accompaniment to your romantic dinner a deux. Sure, feeding your loved one oysters and chocolates can be romantic, but an unpopular purple root vegetable? We think not. But then we did a bit of digging (geddit?) and they were only bloomin' right. It turns out that beetroots have been considered a natural aphrodisiac since Roman times. In fact, murals featuring beetroot have been found on the walls of Pompeii's brothels! As with most aphrodisiacs (see our last post about oysters) several theories abound for the food's supposed qualities. In the beetroot's case it could be the high levels of the mineral boron (thought to play a role in the production of sex hormones). Alternatively, some say, it contains tryptophan (also found in chocolate), a substance that contributes to a sense of wellbeing. Certainly, chocolate and beetroot together make a jolly decent cake so perhaps that one's not as far-fetched as it might at first sound. It will come as no surprise that the email in question came from a PR agency who happen to be acting for a British beetroot grower but, as you know, at Well Seasoned we're all for that sort of thing and happy to give their website www.lovebeetroot.co.uk a plug. Just don't blame us if, on the 14th, your intended doesn't find a gnarled beetroot quite as appealing as a diamond ring...
