What is a Turnip?

[bobsbeer]

If a turnip is a swede; what is a turnip? Is it those little white things, and if those are turnips what are swedes? Turnips? Do our American cousins have this problem? They call a swede a rutabager, but is a turnip a rutabager or a turnip or a swede?

 

[screamlead]

Turnips are usually white whereas Swede is normally yellow. Turp here is raddish but the same size as turnips! :shock:

 

[bobsbeer]

Ah but is a swede a turnip? And if a swede is a turnip what is a turnip?

 

[Aleman]

This is a turnip

Now Swedes have a slighty more complex etymology

Rutabaga is the common American and Canadian term for the plant. It comes from the old Swedish word Rotabagge, meaning simply "root bag". In the U.S., the plant is also known as "Swedish turnip" or "yellow turnip". The term "Swede" is used instead of rutabaga in many Commonwealth Nations, including England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand. The name turnip is also used in parts of Northern and Midland England, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. In Scots, it is known as "turnip," "tumshie" or "neep" (from Old English næp, Latin napus).

This is a Swede

Turnips stay white when cooked . . . Swedes Turn Orange

 

[bobsbeer]

This is a Swede

But that's a turnip

 

[seamus]

step away from the crack pipe bob

 

[bobsbeer]

 

[calumscott]

Certainly where I come from "Turnip" is anything turnippy regardless of variety.

What is popularly known as a swede down south is your default turnip up north. Tell a Perthshire farmhand to go and feed shredded swedes to the sheep and you'll have a mass murder charge on your hands...

...fact is they're all neeps anyway!!!

 

[regaltabs]

This is a Swede

But that's a turnip

Quick spanner in the works on this as where I'm from that there is a Baggy (bay-gee) its hard work up north having a different language :hmm:

 

[charlie_mead_face]

at catering collage i had a scotish tutor and he says that the scots call a swede a turnip and a tunip a swede big confusion :?

 

[hairybiker]

This is a Swede

But that's a turnip

+1
Yep that's definitely a NEEP! (aka Haggis, neeps & tatties) Where I grew up they were used as fodder for the animals during the winter, harvested and covered in straw to keep them "fresh" - remember being sent out to get a couple from the pile for tea :

 

[abeyptfc]

my local greengrocer died a few years back, there was a big turnip at his funeral!

 

[Aleman]

Ok Just to clear away any confusion, what our fiends up their in Scotlandhire call a neep is also a rutabaga, swede (from Swedish turnip), turnip or yellow turnip is Brassica napobrassica, or Brassica napus var. napobrassica, or Brassica napus subsp. rapifera . . . and what we in more civilised nations call a turnip is Brassica rapa rapa

Brassica napus and B. napobrassica are called swedes (a shortening of Swedish turnip) in England, especially in the South, and in most dialects of the Commonwealth. Rutabaga, from the Swedish rotabagga, for "root bag" is mostly used in North America, in the United States and Canada. The rutabaga or swede differs from the turnip (Brassica rapa) in that it is typically larger and yellow-orange rather than white.

However, in some dialects of British English the two vegetables have overlapping or reversed names. In the north of England and Scotland, the larger, yellow rutabagas are called neeps or turnips from folk etymology, while the smaller white turnips are called swedes.

So basically the Scots have got it wrong, but to clear up any confusion in future posts could people please use the Linnean names (shown in italics) to distinguish which articular root vegetable they are talking about

 

[calumscott]

And in the north east of Scotland they're tumshies...

 

[ingypingy2]

it's all neeps to me lol!! Up here in Orkney, we make neepie lanterns at halloween, and use the scrapings from the middle to make clapshot (aka neeps & tatties mashed with butter, and a dash of salt and pepper) which is also traditionally served with haggis on Rabbie Burns Day :) I always assumed that swede was the posh name for neeps (turnips) lol!! :)

 

[calumscott]

Do you know how bloody hard it is to get a big enough neep in oxfordshire to make a turnip lantern?!?!

Do you do mail order ingy?

 

[dennisking]

So would the Scott's say ABBA are Turnips. :wha:

 

[calumscott]

There might have been a Scotland Vs Sweden match at McDairmid park many moons ago at which may have been seen a banner which read simply:

"Swedes are neeps."

 

[evanvine]

Ok Just to clear away any confusion, what our fiends up their in Scotlandhire call a neep is also a rutabaga, swede (from Swedish turnip), turnip or yellow turnip is Brassica napobrassica, or Brassica napus var. napobrassica, or Brassica napus subsp. rapifera . . . and what we in more civilised nations call a turnip is Brassica rapa rapa

Is there no end to your knowledge Tony!

Or is it you're a dab hand with Google. :whistle:

 

[Aleman]

Ok Just to clear away any confusion, what our fiends up their in Scotlandhire call a neep is also a rutabaga, swede (from Swedish turnip), turnip or yellow turnip is Brassica napobrassica, or Brassica napus var. napobrassica, or Brassica napus subsp. rapifera . . . and what we in more civilised nations call a turnip is Brassica rapa rapa

Is there no end to your knowledge Tony!

Or is it you're a dab hand with Google. :whistle:

Not quite . . . I just went to my seed catalogue