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Red Vegetables
Appears in
Published 2014
Red pigments, called anthocyanins, are found in only a few vegetables, mainly red cabbage and beets. Blueberries also are colored by these red pigments. (The red color of tomatoes and red peppers is due to the same pigments that color carrots yellow or orange.)
Red pigments react very strongly to acids and alkalis:
- Acids turn them a brighter red.
- Alkalis turn them blue or blue-green (not a very appetizing color for red cabbage).
Red beets and red cabbage, therefore, have their best color when cooked with a small amount of acid. Red cabbage is often cooked with tart apples for this reason.