Rutabaga

Rutabaga (/ˌruːtəˈbeɪɡə/; North American English) or swede (British English and some Commonwealth English) is a root vegetable, a form of Brassica napus (which also includes rapeseed). Other names include Swedish turnip, neep (Scottish) and turnip (some Canadian English, Northern English, Irish English, and Cornish English) – however, elsewhere the name “turnip” usually refers to the related white turnip. The species Brassica napus originated as a hybrid between the cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and the turnip (Brassica rapa). Rutabaga roots are eaten as human food in a variety of ways, and the leaves can be eaten as a leaf vegetable. The roots and tops are also used for livestock, either fed directly in the winter or foraged in the field during the other seasons. Scotland, Northern England, West England and Ireland had a tradition of carving the roots into lanterns at Halloween.

Rutabaga has many national and regional names. Rutabaga is the common North American term for the plant. This comes from the Swedish dialectal word rotabagge,[1] from rot (root) + bagge (lump, bunch).[2] In the U.S., the plant is also known as Swedish turnip or yellow turnip.[3][4]

The term swede (from “Swedish turnip”) is used in many Commonwealth Nations, including much of England, Australia, and New Zealand. The name turnip is also used in parts of Northern and Midland England, the West Country (particularly Cornwall), Ireland, the Isle of Man, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. In Wales, according to region, it is variously known as meipen, rwden, or erfinen in Welsh,[5] and as swede or turnip in English.

In Scotland it is known as turnip, tumshie (also used as a pejorative term for foolish or stupid people) or neep (from Old English næp, Latin napus).[6] Some areas of south-east Scotland, such as Berwickshire and Roxburghshire, still use the term baigie, possibly a derivative of the Swedish dialectal word rotabagge.[7] The term turnip is also used for the white turnip (Brassica rapa ssp rapa).[6][8]

Some will also refer to both swede and (white) turnip as just turnip (this word is also derived from næp).[8] In north-east England, turnips and swedes are colloquially called snadgers, snaggers (archaic) or narkies.[9] Rutabaga is also known as moot in the Isle of Man and the Manx language word for turnip is napin.[10]

Its common name in Sweden is kålrot (literally “cabbage/kale root”). Similarly, in Denmark it is known as kålroe and kålrabi, while in Norway it is known as kålrabi or kålrot and in Estonia as kaalikas. In Dutch it is called similarly koolraap. In Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands, it is sometimes confused with kohlrabi. The Finnish term is lanttu. The Romanian term is nap. Rutabaga is known by many different regional names in German, of which Kohlrübe and Steckrübe are the most widespread and most commonly used in lists of ingredients; the former is typically used in Austria to mean kohlrabi.