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The turnip or white turnip ( Brassica rapa subsp. rapa) is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as fodder for livestock. The name turnip used in many regions may also be used to refer to rutabaga (or neep or swede), which is a different but related vegetable.
Turnip roots weigh up to , although they are usually harvested when smaller. Size is partly a function of variety and partly a function of the length of time a turnip has grown.
Edible turnips were first domesticated in Central Asia several thousand years ago, supported by genetic studies of both wild and domesticated varieties showing Central Asian varieties are the most genetically diverse crops. Ancient literary references to turnips in Central Asia, and the existence of words for 'turnip' in ancestral languages of the region, also support the turnip as the original domesticated form of Brassica rapa subsp. rapa. It later spread to Europe and East Asia with farmers in both areas later selecting for larger leaves; it subsequently became an important food in the Hellenistic and Roman Empire world. Among Jews in antiquity, the turnip was regarded as a food of the poor, to the extent that the Talmud declares, "Woe to the house in which the turnip passes". Rabbinic sources further observe that turnips were consumed in various forms, "fresh, boiled, or ground", and that their flavor was enhanced when cooked with meat. The turnip later spread to China, and reached Japan by 700 CE.
Turnips were an important crop in the cuisine of Antebellum America. They were grown for their greens as well as the roots, and could yield edible greens within a few weeks of planting, making them a staple of new plantations still in the process of becoming productive. They could be planted as late as the fall and still provide newly arrived settlers with a source of food. The typical southern way of cooking turnip greens was to boil them with a chunk of salt pork. The broth obtained from this process was known as pot likker and was served with crumbled corn pone, often made from coarse meal when little else was available along the antebellum frontier.Sam Bowers Hilliard, Hog Meat and Hoecake: Food Supply in the Old South, 1840–1860 (2014).
As a root crop, turnips grow best in cool weather; hot temperatures cause the roots to become woody and bad-tasting. They are typically planted in the spring in cold-weather climates (such as the northern US and Canada) where the growing season is only 3–4 months. In temperate climates (ones with a growing season of 5–6 months), turnips may also be planted in late summer for a second fall crop. In warm-weather climates (7 or more month growing season), they are planted in the fall. The average time from planting to harvest is 55–60 days.
Turnips are a biennial plant, taking two years from germination to reproduction. The root spends the first year growing and storing nutrients, and the second year flowers, produces seeds, and dies. The flowers of the turnip are tall and yellow, with the seeds forming in pea-like pods. In areas with less than seven-month growing seasons, temperatures are too cold for the roots to survive the winter. To produce seeds, pulling the turnips and storing them over winter is necessary, taking care not to damage the leaves. During the spring, they may be set back in the ground to complete their lifecycle.
In a 100-gram reference amount, boiled turnip root supplies , with only vitamin C in a moderate amount (14% DV). Other in boiled turnip are in low or negligible content. Boiled turnip is 94% water, 5% carbohydrates, and 1% protein, with negligible fat.
In England around 1700, Charles "Turnip" Townshend promoted the use of turnips in a four-year crop rotation system that enabled year-round livestock feeding.
In the Austrian region of Wildschönau, farmers produce a kind of schnaps called Krautinger from a variation of Brassica rapa ssp. Rapa, since they were granted permission to do so under Empress Maria Theresia in the 18th century. It is notorious for its distinct taste and smell.
The arms of the former municipality of Kiikala, Finland, were Gules, a turnip Or.
In Scottish and some other English dialects, the word turnip can also refer to Rutabaga (North American English), also known as swedes in England, a variety of Brassica napus, which is a hybrid between the turnip, Brassica rapa, and the cabbage. Turnips are generally smaller with white flesh, while rutabagas are larger with yellow flesh. Scottish English sometimes distinguishes turnips as white turnips, and sometimes distinguishes rutabagas as neeps.
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