turnip

1. A widely cultivated Eurasian plant (Brassica rapa) of the mustard family, having a large fleshy edible yellow or white root.
2. The root of this plant, eaten as a vegetable.

[tur-, of unknown meaning + dialectal nepe, turnip (from Middle English , from Old English nǣp , from Latin nāpus).]

For more information on turnip, visit Britannica.com.

Not only is this root vegetable easy to grow, but it keeps well, too. Because of this, turnips have long been popular in Great Britain and northern Europe. The white-fleshed turnip has a white skin with a purple-tinged top. The so-called yellow turnip is actually a turnip relative, the rutabaga. Small, young turnips have a delicate, slightly sweet taste. As they age, however, their taste becomes stronger and their texture coarser, sometimes almost woody. Fresh turnips are available year-round, with the peak season from October through February. Choose heavy-for-their-size small turnips, as they are the youngsters and will be more delicately flavored and textured. The roots should be firm and the greens (if attached) bright-colored and fresh-looking. Though turnips can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped, for 2 weeks, they do best in a cool (55°F), well-ventilated area such as a root cellar. Before using, they should be washed, trimmed and peeled. Turnips may be boiled or steamed, then mashed or puréed. They can also be stir-fried, cubed and tossed with butter, or used raw in salads. Turnips, a cruciferous vegetable, are a fair source of vitamin C. See also turnip greens.

brassica rapa.

• t. rape — brassica rapa subsp. campestris.
• t. stubble — green top regrowth after the roots have been harvested. Used for grazing by ruminants but toxicity (nitrate–nitrite, hemolytic agent, goitrogen).
• t. weed — see rapistrum rugosum.

Turnip can refer to three vegetables, which are described under the articles Turnip, Rutabaga, and Jicama. The confusion results from the following regional differences of usage.

Scientific term	Brassica rapa rapa	Brassica napus or B. napobrassica	Pachyrhizus
Southern England, most Commonwealth countries	turnip	swede (= Swedish turnip)	yam bean
Ireland and parts of Northern England	swede or white turnip	turnip or yellow turnip
Cornwall	white turnip	turnip
Scotland	Milan turnip or white turnip	turnip or neep
United States	turnip	rutabaga or yellow turnip	jicama
Atlantic Canada		turnip	jicama
Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines			turnip
also called	white turnip or summer turnip	yellow turnip or winter turnip	sweet turnip

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 is mostly an American word. 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.

Look up turnip in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Other vegetables

Kohlrabi is also called German turnip, turnip cabbage or cabbage turnip^[1], although there the stem, not the root is the enlarged part.

Other uses

Turnip also refers to a character from Chrono Cross who is actually very similar to a vegetable.

References

1. ^ dict.leo.org accessed 24-May-2009 12:40 PM CEST

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - turnips, majroe, kålroe

Nederlands (Dutch)
raap

Français (French)
n. - navet

Deutsch (German)
n. - Rübe, plumpe (Taschen)uhr

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) γογγύλη, ρέβα

Italiano (Italian)
rapa

Português (Portuguese)
n. - nabo (m), relógio de bolso (m)

Русский (Russian)
репа

Español (Spanish)
n. - nabo, reloj de bolsillo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - rova (bot.), rova (fickur)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
芜菁, 大头菜

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 蕪菁, 大頭菜

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 순무, 대형 회중 시계

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - カブ, カブラ, 単調な仕事

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شلغم, لفت‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮לפת (ירק)‬

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