That might look like a carrot

I was walking through a street market the other day when I came across an unfamiliar vegetable.

As is my custom when I see some variety of produce for the first time, I asked for a bit more information.

I was told that it is called "zanahoria blanca" (white carrot). They said that it is common in soup. That's the same way they describe quinoa here. (It's like saying "Oh, they put that in cholent.)



Hmm, I thought, I have never heard of a white carrot. I'm sure that there are other uses for this albino carrot. I'll just have to be creative.

So then I went to the best resource for obscure produce - the Internet. According to the Internet, this "white carrot" isn't quite the same as a carrot. It can't be eaten raw and should be treated almost exactly like a potato.

The Wikipedia told me that it is a common food in Brazil. So I asked someone familiar with that culture about it, and she said that she loves this batata-borao (Portuguese name, which calls it a kind of potato), especially in soups.

I thought this was a bit odd. People like eating potatoes, but I have never heard anybody say "I love potatoes." It''s not really the kind of vegetable that you love. It's the kind that you tolerate and might enjoy, but I think love goes a bit too far.

I don't really make soups, but there are so many ways to cook a potato that I figured I would just kind of wing it.

First I took the white carrot. Then I put it in boiling water for about 25 minutes. Then I mashed it up and mixed in some margarine and honey.

Then I stuffed it.



Its flavor is a cross between a potato and a peanut. It is a winner. Expect this to show up on my shabbat dinner table very soon - and frequently.