What is "mangelwurzel"

alt. A root vegetable, variety of ''Beta vulgaris'', cultivated chiefly as cattle feed. n. A root vegetable, variety of ''Beta vulgaris'', cultivated chiefly as cattle feed.

Mangelwurzel or mangold wurzel (from German Mangel/Mangold and Wurzel, "root"), also called mangold, mangel beet, field beet, and fodder beet, is a cultivated root vegetable derived from Beta vulgaris. The cultivars are named Crassa Group. Their large white, yellow or orange-yellow swollen roots were developed in the 18th century as a fodder crop for feeding livestock.