Carrots, celery, parsnips and parsley are all from the same Umbelliferae family.

A domesticated form of the Wild Carrot (or Queen Anne's Lace), the first we hear of carrots in use is among the Greeks and the Romans.   They probably cultivated a white forked-root variety, which disappeared in Europe with the fall of the Roman Empire.

In the 10th century, the modern carrot was re-introduced to India, the Middle East and Europe.   This had its origins in Afghanistan, and was yellow, red or purple.

The carrot introduced to Britain in the 16th century had yellow roots.   The orange, now so familiar to us, was first developed in Holland in the 17th century.   White and purple carrots were preferred in France and Belgium until the 19th century.