Chioggia Beets

Chioggia (kee-oh-jee-uh) beets have a distinctive red ring pattern.  They are often referred to as bull’s eye or candy stripe beets.

They originated in the Italian town of Chioggia, located on the north east coast of Italy, near Venice.  They were first grown in the USA in the 1840’s.  Today they can be found in specialty grocery stores and farmer’s markets.

 Chioggia beets are sweeter than most beets.  They contain potassium, folic acid, and iron. One beet contains just 35 calories.

These are great for making pickled beets.  A few hours after the vinegar mixture is poured over the beets, the rings disappear and all of the beets take a very pretty pink color.

These are great sautéed, roasted, pickled or added to soup.