The turnip is a vegetable of the cruciferous family, bulbous in shape and with white flesh; its leaves are also edible. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but there are also certain varieties cultivated in Asia for hundreds of years. Often confused with rutabaga, it has a more neutral taste, is easy to cook and goes well with a multitude of other foods.
Characteristics of the turnip
Source of fiber;
Low in calories;
Source of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus;
Cancer protection;
Contains antioxidants
Nutritional and caloric values of turnip
For 100 g of cooked turnip:
- Nutrients Average content
- Energy 21.1 calories
- Water 94.2g
- Proteins 0.75g
- Carbohydrates 3.23g
- Lipids <0.3g
- Dietary fiber 2.1g
- Calcium 32mg
- Chloride < 20mg
- Copper 0.06mg
- Iron 0.08mg
- Iodine < 20 mcg
- Magnesium 5.8mg
- Manganese 0.04mg
- Phosphorus 20mg
- Potassium 170mg
- Selenium < 20 mcg
- Sodium 10mg
- Zinc 0.06mg
- Beta carotene < 5 mcg
- Vitamin E <0.08mg
- Vitamin K1 <0.8µg
- Vitamin C 7.25mg
- Vitamin B1 or Thiamine <0.015mg
- Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin <0.01mg
- Vitamin B3 or PP or Niacin 0.26mg
- Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid 0.097mg
- Vitamin B6 0.029mg
- Vitamin B9 or Total Folates 17.1 mcg
The benefits of turnip: why eat it?
Choose the right shuttle
- Origin: Eastern Europe;
- Family: Cruciferae;
- Type: Cabbage;
- Flavor: sweet;
- Color: white and purple;
- Season: October to May.
Turnip preparation
- Glazed turnips: cut the root into slices 3 mm thick. Heat the honey and butter until the preparation caramelizes, deglaze with a little water, then add the slices of turnips or rutabaga. Cook until tender, stirring frequently;
- The “boiled”, or pot-au-feu, is unthinkable without rutabagas or turnips;
- Both vegetables are eaten raw, peeled, then sliced or cut into cubes, seasoned with a mustard vinaigrette. You can also grate them and add them to a carrot or cabbage salad;
- Duck or rabbit with turnips is a classic of French cuisine;
- Sauté very young turnips with their leaves and serve them with butter or cream;
- Stuffed turnips: blanch the turnips for ten minutes, remove some of the flesh and mix it with potato pulp and a mushroom sauce. In Italy, it is stuffed with risotto and gratinated after having sprinkled it with parmesan. In France, we like to stuff it with sausage meat seasoned with thyme and rosemary and then cook it in cider;
- As a mousse: cook the turnips and make a puree, to which egg whites and potato starch will be added. Add salt and pepper. Put in a mold and cook in a bain-marie;
- The seeds can be used as a seasoning, like those of mustard. Sprouted, they add spice to salads and sandwiches.
In the southern United States, the leaves are prepared by cooking them with diced bacon or smoked ham. This preparation is then added to soups and stews, especially if these dishes contain barley and beans, or spicy sausages.
In Germany, turnips are grated and cooked like sauerkraut with juniper berries and sausage.
Turnip contraindications and allergies
Turnip is not always well tolerated.
irritable bowel syndrome
Some people with irritable bowel syndrome may experience varying degrees of food intolerance. It sometimes happens that the intolerance concerns crucifers such as turnips or rutabagas. By limiting or avoiding fermentable foods like those in the cruciferous family, people with this syndrome can reduce their symptoms (abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea). When the symptoms are mild, or during so-called “remission” periods, it is sometimes possible to gradually reintegrate these foods, always respecting individual tolerance (see our Irritable Bowel Syndrome sheet).
Interaction of crucifers with certain drugs
Indoles, compounds naturally present in crucifers, can in particular reduce the action of certain analgesics such as products containing acetaminophen (Tylenol, Atasol, Tempra) and other drugs combining a mixture of active ingredients (Benylin , Contact, Robaxacet). People who consume a large amount of crucifers should take this aspect into consideration.
History of the turnip
The term "turnip" appeared in the 13th century first in the form "naviet"; it comes from the old French “nef”, a masculine noun inherited from the Latin napus. Its use has been abandoned to avoid confusion with "nave", a feminine noun meaning "vessel".
It is generally claimed that the turnip comes from the Mediterranean basin. However, several vegetable plants belonging to the same species (Brassica rapa) are native to China. According to one of the hypotheses currently being studied, there would rather be two independent lineages for this species. The first would come from the more western regions (Europe, India and Central Asia) and it would include turnip, rutabaga and rape (today called rapeseed or canola); the second, would come more from East Asia, and would include the many varieties of "Chinese cabbage" cultivated for their roots or their leaves: ta-tsoi, hon tsai tai, mibuna, mizuna, komatsuna, pak choi, bok choy, pai lo lo, etc.
The Greeks and Romans knew many varieties of turnips. In the first century of our era, Pliny the Elder described, under the names of rapa and napus, elongated, flat and round turnips. At the same time, the vegetable was used in France as food for both humans and farm animals. Later, it will become an important food of the English who will boil or roast its roots, cook its leaves and enjoy its young stems in salads.
The turnip was introduced to America by Jacques Cartier in 1541. Along with lettuce and cabbage, it was the first Old World vegetable to be grown in New France. Native Americans adopted it and quickly began to cultivate it.
For further
Although the leaves of all types of turnips or rutabagas can be eaten, certain varieties have been bred specifically for this purpose. The "Shogoin", in particular, whose roots are also edible, and the "Seven Top", of which only the foliage is eaten. They are sown early in the spring, then at the end of the summer, for a second harvest. Space the plants 5 to 10 cm apart.
If you find the taste of turnip or rutabaga too pronounced, you can try growing the “Oasis” variety, a hybrid whose flavor, in the opinion of its breeder, is vaguely reminiscent of that of melon.
Unlike other varieties, Shogoin flowers and sets seeds in the first year. We can therefore easily harvest the seeds and sow them the following year, which will allow to have a good amount of greenery, the plant being very prolific. Treat the seeds with hot water (66°C for 25 to 30 minutes), cool them with cold water and dry them.
Turnips mature in 40 to 80 days, depending on the variety and the size at which you want to harvest them. For rutabagas, it takes at least 90 days. It is therefore recommended to sow them no later than three months before the first major frosts.
The cabbage maggot is the main predator to be feared in the vegetable garden. She lays her eggs at the foot of plants; the larva grows by tunneling in the root and feeding on the flesh of the vegetable. Various solutions exist to combat it.
- Sow turnips and rutabagas alternately with lettuce, because the fly does not like the smell of the latter.
- Cover the seedlings with light agro-textiles that let in as much light as possible (85%) and leave them on throughout the growth of the plants. This solution is suitable for cool weather, but in hot weather, it will have to be removed, otherwise the plants will burn. Put the fabric back on as soon as the weather cools down.
- A weekly watering with lye (wood ash diluted in water) is very effective both against the cabbage maggot and against various other undesirable insects that may attack it.
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