Gniff Carrot (Daucus carota)

Gniff Carrot from Ticino (D. carota): this beautiful carrot is an ancient variety locally called gniff, existing prior to orange carrots, it is traditionally grown in some mountain areas of the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. The root is long and thick, it is white in the center and dark purple in the outermost part. It has a conical shape, 10 to 15 cm long, with a variable diameter of up to 4 cm. Its name comes from the Ticino dialect: the term "gniff" meant carrot and, in the Canton Ticino area, the purple-white variety was the only native one. The differences between the Gniff and the more traditional carrots are many: not only the color and shape, but also the taste. The gniff tastes less sweet than others of the species, but this actually causes more nuances of taste to be noticed. Carotene is present as well anthocyanin which is the cause of the beautiful blue colour. For consumption, it should be harvested young, for seeds, the plants should be allowed to go until the spring after sowing.  The reproduction of the seed does not present particular difficulties: we have chosen to indicate the words "experts" because the carrots hybridize very easily, even with the wild ones, so lots of care must be taken.

This variety is mentioned in the "Arca del Gusto Slow Food".