# Tell me about turnips, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 28, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720 "2003-11-28T14:07:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/1 "2003-11-28T14:07:11Z")
We had turnips yesterday at our American Thanksgiving dinner. This led to a family discussion about turnips. Why do people eat turnips? My theory was people eat them only when there is nothing else to be eaten. I know they were rationed in Germany in WW I. I know that the Irish peasants in the 19 century ate turnips when there were no potatoes. What can you tell me about turnips? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/2 "2003-11-28T14:10:50Z")
Turnips, being a root vegetable, keep fairly well. I think that they’re pretty tasty in stew, too, as long as you don’t have too much turnip. I’ll grant that it’s a strong tasting vegetable, but that can be used to an advantage. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyYen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnnyYen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyYen)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/3 "2003-11-28T14:13:57Z")
Do you mean the big yellow ones (also known as Swedes) or the little white ones? The former are delicious mashed with butter and nutmeg. The latter are only good as cattle food. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/4 "2003-11-28T14:26:38Z")
They are TAAAAAAAAASTY! Nohting goes better with Roast Beef and green beans than a nice big hump of mashed Turnip! Boiled, mashed, raw…I’ll take it any way I can get it! IIRC, I think a lot of Americans refer to them as “Rootabegeas” or some such. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/5 "2003-11-28T14:28:52Z")
OK, I haven’t eaten turnip for a while, but all of a sudden I want to. Good winter stew/soup begetable. They’re quite nice, really, you can mash them up, as you might with potatoes, and add some fresh black pepper. I think if we were not all already used to potatoes in all their cooked forms, we woudl consider them an odd thing to choose to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/6 "2003-11-28T14:36:14Z")
I _like_ turnips. I’d eat them even if there’s other stuff around. I put some frozen turnip cubes in a curry last night. Yum. Turnips keep well. You can hang them up in a root cellar and eat them all winter. Read _Little House on the Prairie_ for examples-- I seem to recall they would take a turnip out and cut it into sticks like carrot sticks for a snack after dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/7 "2003-11-28T14:52:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohnnyYen \* > Do you mean the big yellow ones (also known as Swedes) or the little white ones? The former are delicious mashed with butter and nutmeg. Served with haggis. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/8 "2003-11-28T15:03:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoGoodNamesLeft \* > \*\* > IIRC, I think a lot of Americans refer to them as “Rootabegeas” or some such. \*\* Nope, Rutabegas (beggies, for short) and Turnips are two different things over here on this side of the pond. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/9 "2003-11-28T15:14:09Z")
Likewise here; although they are somewhat similar and somewhat interchangeable, turnips and swedes(rutabagas) are different species of _Brassica_. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/10 "2003-11-28T15:24:32Z")
Of course, apparently one _can_ carve them out to make Hallowe’en lanterns, but I never felt like doing that much hard work. Used to be the traditional thing here though, the place not being exactly awash with pumpkins. btw - yep I agree about the nutmeg too. That is also good. Hmm - I think I shall have a great buyikng of turnip, then a great eating of turnip. Wonder if shoudl change my name to **Baldrick**. ---
**Author:** ![fezpp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fezpp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fezpp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/11 "2003-11-28T15:35:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohnnyYen \* > Do you mean the big yellow ones (also known as Swedes) or the little white ones? The former are delicious mashed with butter and nutmeg. I think turnips and swedes are distinctly different vegetables. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Floater_ > Served with haggis. I agree mashed turnips and potatoes, better known as Tatties and Neaps (sp?). ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/12 "2003-11-28T15:43:26Z")
And don’t forget that before potatoes landed on these shores turnips were the basic " filler" vegetable , especially in poor households. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/13 "2003-11-28T16:00:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fezpp \* > I agree mashed turnips and potatoes, better known as Tatties and Neaps (sp?). Make it **neeps**! ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/14 "2003-11-28T17:41:05Z")
Don’t forget the greens! Turnip greens mixed with collard greens-yummy! Turnip mashed with a little bacon grease = heaven! ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/15 "2003-11-28T21:06:37Z")
I’ve heard of them before- but what are “collard greens”? V ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/16 "2003-11-29T03:26:59Z")
[Here’s the difference between turnips & rutabegas (and recipes).](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=4218256#post4218256) ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/17 "2003-11-29T03:40:10Z")
I like mine raw and sliced into bite-sized spears. My wife thinks I’m nuts. They taste like big, crunchy radishes (when raw). Mmm, radishes… ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyYen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnnyYen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyYen)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/18 "2003-12-02T18:03:36Z")
I knew I’d read something about this recently, and here it is: > **[Monty Don: Bold as brassicas](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2003/nov/23/gardens)** > > They don't feature on lists of exotic veg, but turnips and swedes have a place in Monty Don's heart. All you could want to know about turnips, swedes and rutabagas. If you’re not all that curious about said veg. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/19 "2003-12-02T18:39:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vetch \* > \*\*I’ve heard of them before- but what are “collard greens”? > > V \*\* They are a large sort of cooking green–something like mustard, kale, or chard. Collards tend to be a lot tougher, though, and really require long cooking. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720/20 "2003-12-02T18:40:55Z")
I haven’t had rutabagas in ages. Are they at all similar to kohlrabi? They seem to look similar from the pictures in the other link. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-turnips-please/215720.md?page=2)