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#1 Posted : Wednesday, August 4, 2021 5:25:38 PM(UTC)
I have several British and Australian cookbooks that call for swedes. Online searches repeatedly explain that these are what we call rutabagas in the US. However, when I search for rutabaga, I get none of my recipes that call for swedes. These seem to be tied to turnips and not rutabagas. Am I missing something? Is there a way to search rutabagas and get the recipes for swedes?

#2 Posted : Wednesday, August 4, 2021 7:25:24 PM(UTC)

This will not help you, but I have recipes calling for "yellow turnip" while meaning rutabaga/swede ...

#3 Posted : Monday, August 9, 2021 8:03:15 AM(UTC)

This is a can of worms :-)


I am English, from the south; even within the British Isles there's some confusion as the names for root vegetables are regional,  and that's why recipes vary so much. 


However, I've discussed this before, and there's an authoritative description in Clarissa Dickson Wright's little Haggis book, so I think I can give an accurate answer.


First, if a British recipe says swede, it definitely means rutabaga, no question. A rutabaga being the dense orange fleshed root with a purplish skin. 


When rutabaga were introduced to Britain from Scandinavia about 200 years ago they were, according to Clarissa D W, known as Swedish turnips.


in the south we soon shortened this to swede.
Further north they shortened this to turnip or yellow turnip.
In Scotland they shortened it all the way to neep; the neeps served with haggis are mashed rutabaga.


If I mention turnip I mean the small white fleshed things, usually with skin flushed either green or mauve, because I'm a southerner

#4 Posted : Monday, August 9, 2021 1:55:40 PM(UTC)
I’m British. Not sure about the north/south theory. A swede is still a swede in Manchester. My mum used to mash them with carrots, a big knob of butter and a grinding of nutmeg. Delicious with a roast chicken.
#5 Posted : Monday, August 9, 2021 2:59:09 PM(UTC)

Originally Posted by: bellaCat Go to Quoted Post
I’m British. Not sure about the north/south theory. A swede is still a swede in Manchester. My mum used to mash them with carrots, a big knob of butter and a grinding of nutmeg. Delicious with a roast chicken.


Yeah, I guess the north south divide is a bit of an over simplification 


Cornish (south west) pastiy recipes often call for "turnip" but it's definitely rutabaga  Yorkshire I think tends to call rutabaga turnip so maybe it's a Lancashire Yorkshire division ;-)


However it is working approximation and does account for the variation

#6 Posted : Tuesday, August 10, 2021 1:09:14 AM(UTC)

Originally Posted by: MarciK Go to Quoted Post
I have several British and Australian cookbooks that call for swedes. Online searches repeatedly explain that these are what we call rutabagas in the US. However, when I search for rutabaga, I get none of my recipes that call for swedes. These seem to be tied to turnips and not rutabagas. Am I missing something? Is there a way to search rutabagas and get the recipes for swedes?


If I search for swede I get recipes that have both swede and rutabaga indexed ... and if I search on rutabaga I get the same number of recipes, again with both names indexed.  For both searches I also get some that have turnips listed as ingredients.  

#7 Posted : Tuesday, August 10, 2021 8:11:56 AM(UTC)
I’m seeing that now too. I wonder if there was an update, or if my EYB was just glitching that day. Either way, fantastic!
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