SWEDES
“Swede”, or Eddie (Swede) is the preferred term used in much of England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand and India while, “Rutabaga” (from dialectal Swedish “rotabagge”, root ram) is the common American English term for the plant. In the U.S., the plant is also known as “Swedish turnip,” “yellow turnip”, or “wax turnip” (as it is sometimes sold with a waxy coating to preserve freshness) while in Ireland and Atlantic Canada, where turnips are relatively unknown, it is called turnip. In Scots, it is either “tumshie” or “neep”, and the turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa) instead is called a “white turnip”. Scots will refer to both types by the generic term “neep” (from Old English næp, Latin napus). Some will also refer to both types as just “turnip” (the word is also derived from næp).
In North-East England, turnips and swedes/rutabagas are colloquially called “snadgies”. They should not be confused with the large beet known as a mangelwurzel.
Its common name in Sweden is “kålrot” (cabbage root). In Norway it is also called “kålrot”, but often also “kålrabi” (which in Sweden and Denmark means kohlrabi). In Finnish, it is called “lanttu”, which is derived from the Swedish “planta”, meaning plant or seedling. (Finland was for many centuries part of the Swedish realm, and rutabaga has to be planted as seedlings due to the short Scandinavian growing season.)
Nutritional Value
Swedes are a good source of fibre and a reasonable source of calcium and vitamins A and C. Swedes are a member of the brassica family and contain many phytochemicals particularly the phytosterols and glucosinolates. Despite their filling nature, they are low in kilojoules
History
The Swede was an important nutritional source for many Finno-Ugric tribes (Hungarians, Finns, Mordyins and Estonians). Some claim the vegetable is native to Sweden, but others think it was introduced to Sweden, possibly from Finland or Siberia, in the early 17th century. From Sweden, it reached Scotland, and from there it spread to the rest of Great Britain and to North America.
In continental Europe, it acquired a bad reputation during World War I, when it became a food of last resort. In the German Steckrübenwinter (rutabaga winter) of 1916–17, large parts of the population were kept alive on a diet consisting of rutabagas and little else, after grain and potato crop failures had combined with wartime effects. After the war, most people were so tired of rutabagas that they came to be considered “famine food,” and they have retained this reputation to the present day. As a consequence, they are rarely planted in Germany. A hardy, ruddy vegetable Swedes are readily available in New Zealand.
Halloween
Prior to pumpkins being readily available in the UK and Ireland (a relatively recent development), swedes/rutabagas were hollowed out and carved with faces to make lanterns for Halloween. Often called “jack o’lanterns”, or “tumshie lanterns” in Scotland, they were the ancient symbol of a damned soul.
Nutrition Facts |
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Swede |
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| Amount Per 100 grams | |||
| Calories | 38 | ||
| % Daily Value* | |||
| Total Fat | 0.2g | 0% | |
| Saturated Fat | 0g | 0% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.1g | ||
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0g | ||
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% | |
| Sodium | 12mg | 0% | |
| Potassium | 305mg | 8% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 9g | 3% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.3g | 9% | |
| Sugar | 4.5g | ||
| Protein | 1.1g | 0% | |
| Vitamin A | 0% | Vitamin C | 41% |
| Calcium | 4% | Iron | 2% |
| Vitamin D | 0% | Vitamin B-6 | 5% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0% | Magnesium | 5% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Swedes around the world
Finns cook rutabaga in a variety of ways; roasted to be served with meat dishes, as the major ingredient in the ever popular Christmas dish rutabaga casserol (“lanttulaatikko”), as a major flavor enhancer in soups, uncooked and thinly julienned as a side dish or in a salad, baked, or boiled. Finns use rutabaga in most dishes that call for any root vegetable.
Swedes and Norwegians cook rutabagas with potatoes and carrots and mash them with butter and cream or milk to create a puree called “rotmos” (root mash) and “kålrot/kålrabistappe” in Swedish and Norwegian, respectively. Onion is occasionally added. In Norway, kålrabistappe is an obligatory accompaniment to many festive dishes, including smalahove, pinnekjtt and salted herring.
In Scotland, rutabagas and potatoes are boiled and mashed separately to produce “tatties and neeps” (“tatties” being the Scots word for potatoes), traditionally served with the Scottish national dish of haggis as the main course of a Burns supper. Neeps may also be mashed with potatoes to make clapshot. Regional variations include the addition of onions to clapshot in Orkney. Neeps are also extensively used in soups and stews. In Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, swedes are often mashed together with carrots as part of the traditional Sunday roast.
In Canada rutabagas are used as filler in foods such as mincemeat and Christmas cake, or as a side dish with Sunday dinner in Atlantic Canada. In the US, rutabagas are mostly eaten as part of stews or casseroles, are served mashed with carrots, or baked in a pasty.
Swede Sports
That’s right an actual sporting event! Visit this website to see rules and history of this sport.
The International Rutabaga Curling Championship annually takes place at the Ithaca, New York, farmer’s market. I’ve got to get a T-shirt.
The town of Cumberland, Wisconsin, U.S., celebrates a week long “Rutabaga Festival” annually, always the weekend preceding Labour Day Weekend.