Red beets as we now know them probably didn't develop until the 17th century--but they have been eaten as wild, slender-rooted plant species with edible leaves over a broad sweep of land, from Britain to Indian, since prehistoric times. Early Russian homeopaths claimed it could cure tuberculosis, scurvy, and toothache--while Russian peasants believed it worked as an insecticide. During "babye leto" (Indian summer), they would bury beets imbedded with mosquitoes and flies in a ceremony meant to relieve them of insect bites. Ironically, Russian beauties--both peasants and ladies in high society--used the beet as rouge for their cheeks...to keep away mosquitoes and attract the opposite sex.
