French carrots (Guide to Varieties and Recipes)

A French market guide to carrots: when they're in season, the different varieties and colours you'll see in France, a very French expression using them - plus plenty of healthy carrot recipes for one of the sweetest vegetables.

bunch of orange and mixed coloured carrots at the market

French Carrot Season

In France, you'll find carrots all year round thanks to three main categories:

New carrots (carottes nouvelles) - May to July
Seasonal carrots - July to October
Storage carrots - October to March

So, no need to wait for a special season to enjoy them. The season simply changes the variety and size on the market stalls.

thick French carrots in crates covered in sand

Carrot Varieties in France

Carrots are grown mainly in the French regions of Brittany, lower Normandy and l'Aquitaine.

Many are grown in sand (carottes sables) with quality varieties such as the Carotte de Créances (AOC) and Carotte de Landes. Don't be put off by their appearance. Just wash off the sand, peel and discover their incredible flavour underneath - sweet and slightly salty.

Parisian Carrots

Carrots have long 'roots' (pun groan here!) around Paris. From the 18th century, growers around Seine-Saint-Denis, Seine-et-Marne, Chatou, Montesson and Croissy-sur-Seine cultivated so-called Parisian carrots. Three historic types include:

La carotte ronde - extra sweet, small and round (about 3-4cm in diameter)
La carotte rouge de Meaux (Seine-et-Marne)
La carotte de Croissy - very light red with a yellow interior

Although carrots no longer grow commercially in Croissy, the town (just outside Paris, near Saint-Germain-en-Laye still celebrates la la fête de la carotte every September.

You'll also see carottes fanes: bunches of organic carrots with their tickly green tops still attached (like the Croissy carrots).

Can I Eat the Tops of Carrots?

For more sustainable cooking, don't throw carrot tops away. Wash them, then add them to soups and salads. Their flavour stays mild - so don't expect fireworks - but they look good and avoid waste.

fresh orange carrots covered in sand and some long red carrots — Carrots always taste like in a restaurant cooked with butter

Health Benefits of Carrots

Carrots contain up to 85% water, and are one of the most naturally sweeter vegetables. An anti-oxidant, they contain Vitamins B1, B2 and C.

Purple carrots have more beta carotene than orange carrots. They have up to 28 times more anthocyanins to make them purple - it's the same pigment found in blueberries. These act as powerful antioxidants that protect the body.

According to Aprifel (for the French Ministry of Agriculture), studies show that purple carrots offer extra protection against various forms of cancer, heart disease and act as natural anti inflammatory agents. Not bad for something that usually comes covered in soil.

crate of purple and yellow carrots at the French market

Were Carrots Originally Purple?

Yes - orange carrots are the newcomers.

Long before we filled our crisper drawers with orange carrots, people ate white and purple ones. These older varieties were already popular around Afghanistan, then travelled through the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe roughly 9000 years ago.

Purple, black, yellow, red and white carrots remained common right up until the 16th century. Around then, Dutch growers crossed red and white carrots to create the famous orange carrot.

The orange "Longue Orange" carrot is said to have been favoured by supporters of the House of Orange in the 16th century (source: the much-missed Museum of Carrots). One practical advantage: orange carrots hold their colour better when cooked. Purple carrots tend to bleed their colour into everything else - pretty, but sometimes surprising - so great for using in Hallowe'en dishes.

What Does "Les Carottes Sont Cuites" Mean?

You'll often hear French commentators shout "Les carottes sont cuites !" during football or rugby matches. Literally, it means "the carrots are cooked", but no one is checking the saucepan! It's an expression that has been around since the 19th Century.

In everyday French, the expression means:

It's all over. The outcome is decided.
The game is up.

So if someone mutters les carottes sont cuites about your favourite team, things aren't looking good.

Tabac sign in France, bright red in a lozange shape to indicate a tobacconist — The Tabac signs in France are known as '*la carotte*'

Since 1906, the official red sign outside French tobacconists has carried the nickname la carotte (the carrot).

I discovered this at a former tabac factory, now an open-air museum, in Morlaix (Finistère, Brittany). The sign is bright red and tapered, a bit like a stylised carrot, which probably explains the name. Beyond that, the link stops there: tobacco isn't exactly a health food.

So if someone in France says "je vais à la carotte", they're not off to buy vegetables.

ingredients laid out for soup: onion, dirty carrot, leek, bacon and either split peas or fresh/frozen peas — Adding a carrot or two to simple recipes give that extra French '*je ne sais quoi'* deliciousness

How do the French Cook Carrots?

Carrots appear in so many French dishes that it's easier to ask where they don't sneak in. And a reminder from Escoffier and every French chef since: carrots cooked gently in butter always taste like they came straight from a restaurant.
Here are some of the most typical ways:

Raw Carrots

Simple grated carrot salad - peeled and grated carrots with a light dressing of lemon juice or vinegar and good oil.
Carrot, walnut and raisin salad - toss grated carrots with walnut oil, toasted walnuts and raisins.
Moroccan-style carrot salad - grated raw, add mint and Moroccan spices. It's fresh, healthy and the flavours pop.

bowl with shredded carrots, ginger, fresh mint, flower salt, toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds and a pan of toasted peanuts with orange

Soups and Purées

Carrots bring sweetness and colour to:

French Pea Soup - add a large carrot and it suddenly tastes much more complex. Traditionally made with fresh peas, but frozen or split peas work well too.

3 bowls of pea soup with fresh peas and pods

Creamy French carrot soup (potage Crécy) - a quick, easy soup thickened with rice.

black bowl with a thick and creamy carrot soup, thickened with rice and topped with a sprig of fresh parsley and pinch of ground coriander

Glazed and Vichy Carrots

According to Auguste Escoffier in his 1903 Guide Culinaire, carrots have one "proper" preparation as a side dish: gently simmered in water with butter and sugar, then glazed - carottes glacées.

Add chopped fresh parsley at the end and they become Vichy carrots (carottes à la Vichy). Here's the full authentic recipe for Vichy Carrots (French Glazed Carrots) - which is traditionally made with the naturally sparkling saline water from Vichy.

buttery glazed carrots topped with chopped fresh parsley just before serving — Just add chopped fresh parsley and it's Vichy carrots

Braises and Stews

Carrots appear at the start of cooking in many slow French dishes, giving them a slightly sweet, earthy depth:

bunch of carrots, bacon, chicken, herbs, bacon, wine on chopping board

Carrots are one of the major ingredients in a classic Coq au Vin.

This recipe is our best version, as the whole lot is marinated overnight as opposed to made in a hurry with not much flavour. The result is a casserole full of flavour plus meat so tender, it melts in the mouth.

thickly sliced carrots added to a French veal stew

Thickly sliced, slightly at an angle, carrots are one of the main ingredients of the French Blanquette de Veau, the classic veal stew.

crock pot of Boeuf Bourguignon with carrots, mushrooms and pearl onions, topped with parsley

Also added at the beginning of cooking, carrots give a Burgundy beef stew its characteristic flavour in le Boeuf Bourguignon.

How Long Do You Roast Carrots at 180°C / 350°F?

As a general guide:

small carrot slices: about 20 minutes
larger batons or whole baby carrots: 25-35 minutes

Toss them in a little oil, season well, roast at 180°C / 350°F, and turn them once. They're ready when the edges caramelise and a knife slips in easily.

Sweet Carrot Recipes

Making carrot cakes with frosting, orange zest and walnuts

Back to my British roots, carrot cake is becoming more popular around French tea rooms in Paris.

Make your own carrot cake muffins with tons of grated carrots, half fat cream cheese and orange in the frosting.

slice of purple carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting

Purple carrot cake - perhaps not that photogenic with its dark colour but it's moist, scented with orange and gloriously colourful. Please try it!

Carrots might be humble, but between French markets, old expressions and all these recipes, they certainly keep life interesting - and not just when les carottes sont cuites.