[Sca-cooks] More on Beets and Beet Roots

[Harris Mark.S-rsve60]

Master Cariadoc comments about some of the period quotes on beets:
>>>>
>There are white, black, and red varieties. The red ones are much
>appreciated when thinly sliced in salad, being first boiled in water or
>cooked under hot embers, thinly sliced, and dressed with oil, vinegar,
>and salt. The sweet white ones are the best.

I think this could be a reference to either the leaves or the root, 
although specifying the red ones, which other sources suggest have a 
more edible root, at least suggests the latter.
<<<<
Why do you say this could suggest the leaves?
I thought all the leaves would be green, but here they talk about the red ones being much appreciated when slice in a salad. And earlier about white, black and red varieties. I admit they may be using the color of the roots to indicate which type of beet, while still using only the leaves, but how do you cook leaves under hot embers? On the otherhand, that is a pretty straight forward thing to do with roots.

Would/do the leaves of the various leaves vary in sweetness? Or taste at all? Why specify sweet white ones, if you aren't eating the root? How would anyone know they were sweet if they weren't eating the root?

Stefan