Beets and Beet Greens

Beets have come up in the world. Nestled beneath foie gras, accented with truffles, or stirred into risotto, the formerly lowly roots now grace the most elegant tables.

Until recently, beets were considered little more than a useful winter food in the United States, where they were boiled, canned, and not much more. A generation of chefs without wartime prejudices and with an international repertoire have been subjecting them to culinary scrutiny. With this rise in status, new uses, cooking techniques, and cultivars (old and new) have emerged.