# When did "beet" become "beetroot"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838 "2015-10-27T02:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/1 "2015-10-27T02:24:13Z")
When I was younger, recipes always used the word beet to indicate the root of the beet and beet greens to indicate the tops. Recently everything I find refers to beetroot. When the change? Why the change? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/2 "2015-10-27T02:30:05Z")
From [wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetroot): “The beetroot is the taproot portion of the beet plant,[1] usually known in North America as the beet,…” So I suppose the earth is flat and we have to use the word the way the rest of the world does. Or it’s the foodies and their pretentious terminology, or the health foodies doing the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/3 "2015-10-27T02:34:07Z")
1597, according to the OED: > [@](#): > > beet-root, n. > > The root of the beet > > 1597 W. Langham Garden of Health 66 Strake a little salt on a Beete roote, and put it into the fundament. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/4 "2015-10-27T02:40:31Z")
It’s “beetroot” in the UK, but just plain “beet” in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/5 "2015-10-27T03:06:07Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It’s “beetroot” in the UK, but just plain “beet” in the US. Yes. That’s the correct answer. It’s beet in Canada too. I’m not sure about other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/6 "2015-10-27T03:07:24Z")
When I was a kid, eating beet greens would have been very uncommon. The only part of the beet that people ate was the root. So it was normal to just call that beets because there was nothing else to confuse it with. As eating greens became more common, I suppose people started referring to beet root and beet greens to distinguish which part of the beet they were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/7 "2015-10-27T03:36:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > When I was a kid, eating beet greens would have been very uncommon. The only part of the beet that people ate was the root. So it was normal to just call that beets because there was nothing else to confuse it with. > > As eating greens became more common, I suppose people started referring to beet root and beet greens to distinguish which part of the beet they were talking about. I think this is closest to what’s happened. Also, international differences in recipes have made terminologies collide just in the last decade, maybe even less, with recipes from other countries easily shared over the web. So English use of beetroot, combined with more people eating beet greens in the US, has led to the need for distinction in the US. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/8 "2015-10-27T06:41:04Z")
I assumed the term “beetroot” was just the Australian usage. Interesting that it’s spreading to the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/9 "2015-10-27T07:11:10Z")
It’s not spreading to the U.S. It’s just that people are more aware of the usage in other countries because of the Internet. I just checked on Google Ngram, and it appears that the term “beet” is considerably more common that the term “beetroot.” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/10 "2015-10-27T09:05:18Z")
Is it possibly also to distinguish the ordinary beetroot from the sugar beet? I dunno, we always just say beetroot in South Africa, not beet. > [@zombywoof](#): > > 1597, according to the OED: > > > [@](#): > > > > beet-root, n. > > > > The root of the beet > > > > 1597 W. Langham Garden of Health 66 Strake a little salt on a Beete roote,\*\* and put it into the fundament.\*\* :eek: salting it first isn’t going to make it any easier…homemade Elizabethan buttplugs, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/11 "2015-10-27T11:39:55Z")
The beet goes on. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/12 "2015-10-27T11:54:16Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I assumed the term “beetroot” was just the Australian usage. Interesting that it’s spreading to the USA. When I first heard “beetroot” it was being described as an Aussie burger garnish. I immediately adopted the term and have used it since. Mate. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/13 "2015-10-27T12:21:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > …Or it’s the foodies and their pretentious terminology, or the health foodies doing the same thing. See to my British ears, it’s the recent popularity in using ‘beet’ rather than ‘beetroot’ which sounds pretentious - foodies demonstrating they’re in the know. I feel the same about people using ‘slaw’ rather than ‘coleslaw’ too. I’m way too easily irritated to embrace any sort of global community. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/14 "2015-10-27T13:01:44Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > See to my British ears, it’s the recent popularity in using ‘beet’ rather than ‘beetroot’ which sounds pretentious Do you also refer to “carrotroot” and “turniproot” and “sweet potatoroot”? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/15 "2015-10-27T13:15:30Z")
MrDibble writes: \> Is it possibly also to distinguish the ordinary beetroot from the sugar beet? I \> dunno, we always just say beetroot in South Africa, not beet. No, you’re just using the same term as in the U.K. and Australia. I don’t think the sugar beet has much to do with it. Ordinary cooks and diners barely know the term “sugar beet.” It’s not used in cooking, and most people hardly think about the original source of their sugar. Again, nothing is changing about the use of the two terms. People in countries where they say “beet” continue to do so. People in countries where they say “beetroot” continue to do so. It’s just that the Internet has meant that they are more likely to hear people from other counties use the other term. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/16 "2015-10-27T15:20:32Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > When I first heard “beetroot” it was being described as an Aussie burger garnish. I immediately adopted the term and have used it since. Mate. Same here, except for the adopting it part, although I admit that I have to consciously prevent myself from saying it (unless I’m with my Aussies). Even the most moderately enlightened person recognizes that English is different globally, and should be able to recognize what are really insignificant differences. I mean, really, would any Americans have issues understanding corriander leaf? I understand that non-Americans might have issue with the reverse, but we all know this basic thing, right? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/17 "2015-10-27T15:24:17Z")
EXCEPT for foodie types, beets have a very low profile in the U.S. They are dimly known as those purple things in jars in the canned vegetable section, and they are ‘beets’. I guess if McDonalds started putting ‘beetroot’ on burgers as in other countries, the term would become more widespread. For now, beets will do, if anyone refers to them at all. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/18 "2015-10-27T15:36:35Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It’s “beetroot” in the UK, but just plain “beet” in the US. And just plain nasty everywhere. Yes, I’m a beethater. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/19 "2015-10-27T15:36:50Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > See to my British ears, it’s the recent popularity in using ‘beet’ rather than ‘beetroot’ which sounds pretentious - foodies demonstrating they’re in the know. I feel the same about people using ‘slaw’ rather than ‘coleslaw’ too. To be fair, there are sorts of slaw than just cabbage (cole) slaw, like broccoli slaw using shredded broccoli, so that usage isn’t necessarily wrong. It’s just that coleslaw is such a dominant variety in the US. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you also refer to “carrotroot” and “turniproot” and “sweet potatoroot”? 😛 Again, to be fair, for two out of three of those example you wouldn’t eat the leaves anyway so the distinction would be unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838/20 "2015-10-27T15:45:01Z")
Well, I know when it comes to language, people always assume they speak the one and only correct one, but ‘beet’ is ambigious: [Sugar Beet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_beet) Now onto a really divisive subject. What colour is Turnip? Scots and Irish will typically say orange, and English will say white… The Scots and Irish are right of course 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beet-become-beetroot/735838.md?page=2)