Coming from Spain and Sicily via Italy, the carrot spread through Europe in the fourteenth century. In very old recipe books it is known simply as one of the "roots," and not until the eighteenth century was it considered sufficiently "noble" to become an ingredient in the French grande cuisine. A popular peasant food (like most root vegetables), the carrot was almost always present in rural dishes. But this humble vegetable can be exquisite when prepared, for example, in the following way.
