View Full Version : Turnip
Why have i never seen any Turnips in the shops here?
Swedes yes Turnips no.
changilass
04-Jan-10, 18:05
The sheep get 'em.
The sheep get 'em.
Are you jesting?
Even if the sheep do get all of the Turnips in Caithness, it doesn't account for the lack of them in the shops surely.
Swedes,turnips?
What are we cooking the foreign visitors and feeding the loopy locals to the sheep?
bullielove
04-Jan-10, 18:23
ye will get a turnip in the butchers and they will even cut it up for you;) or at the wee market in wick on a saturday but yes i was asking the same question the other day, ye never get turnip in the supermarket anymore
DeHaviLand
04-Jan-10, 18:29
What you Southerners call swedes, we properly call turnip. So the swedes that you are seeing in the supermarket, are actually turnip. Does that answer your question?
ye will get a turnip in the butchers and they will even cut it up for you;) or at the wee market in wick on a saturday but yes i was asking the same question the other day, ye never get turnip in the supermarket anymore
Thank you for that bullielove, i prefer Turnip it tastes better and is also easier to prepare.
What you Southerners call swedes, we properly call turnip. So the swedes that you are seeing in the supermarket, are actually turnip. Does that answer your question?
Thats what i thought too. ;)
What you Southerners call swedes, we properly call turnip. So the swedes that you are seeing in the supermarket, are actually turnip. Does that answer your question?
No a Swede is orange a Turnip is white.
Thats what i thought too. ;)
Don't class myself as a Southerner.
No a Swede is orange a Turnip is white.
DeHaviLand is right, Scots and English have different names for these vegetables. Southerners were trying to tell us that neeps were really swedes when I was a lass. It seems nothing has changed.
DeHaviLand is right, Scots and English have different names for these vegetables. Southerners were trying to tell us that neeps were really swedes when I was a lass. It seems nothing has changed.
Turnips and Swedes are two completely different vegetables.
A Swede('Brassica napobrassiac ) is orange inside.
A Turnip ( Brassica Rapa ) is white inside
Why have i never seen any Turnips in the shops here?
Because they are too busy running the country. :roll:
ShelleyCowie
04-Jan-10, 19:14
Turnips and Swedes are two completely different vegetables.
A Swede('Brassica napobrassiac ) is orange inside.
A Turnip ( Brassica Rapa ) is white inside
I just cut up a bloomin neep [disgust] cant stand doin it. Near lost ma fingers doin it. Maybe i will buy frozen next time cos i cana afford til loose a finger
Don't class myself as a Southerner.
Ah you misunderstood shazzap. I worked in tescos for about 6 months in the produce isle and to me the swedes don't look any different to a turnip so i think its just a different name. I know of the white ones you mean but i think its properly just the way they have been grown. The ones for tesco are mass produced the white ones you are after could've been grown for longer in better ground perhaps.
To me a swede is a turnip and a turnip is a swede. Wouldn't know what the white and orange ones taste like as i don't like the taste of turnip at all. No idea where the name swede came from. It sounds like something to with a pig to me ;)
I just cut up a bloomin neep [disgust] cant stand doin it. Near lost ma fingers doin it. Maybe i will buy frozen next time cos i cana afford til loose a finger
That is a Swede they are really hard to cut into, a Turnip is easy to cut.
Hope you fingers are ok Shelly.
changilass
04-Jan-10, 19:20
Only on the org could civil war break out following a question about vegetables lol.
The north south divide is alive and kicking :lol:
Turnips and Swedes are two completely different vegetables.
A Swede('Brassica napobrassiac ) is orange inside.
A Turnip ( Brassica Rapa ) is white inside
LOL! You can't convince me that your southern nomenclature is correct by simply quoting their proper names! I lived in London as a student and we eventually sorted this out then.
I would guess you were born and bred in Southern England because of the way you label them.
Regional difference in language is a notoriously difficult thing to get right but Wikipedia seems to have made a reasonable stab.
Turnip (disambiguation) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip_%28disambiguation%29)
This is perfectly consistent with what DeHaviLand and I are claiming and it's consistent with your claim if indeed you were bred in Southern England.
Kevin Milkins
04-Jan-10, 19:25
It was something I used to get confused with when I first moved to Caithness, :confused a popular local dish being neaps and tatties is actually swede and potato, and not turnips and potato.
These are swede, (Marion)
http://www.molesseeds.co.uk/flower_and_vegetable_seed_store_uk/VSW030.JPG
And these are turnip (Purple Top Milan)
http://www.molesseeds.co.uk/flower_and_vegetable_seed_store_uk/VTU40.JPG
Although they both differ in variety quite a bit they are very different in taste to each other.
LOL! You can't convince me that your southern nomenclature is correct by simply quoting their proper names! I lived in London as a student and we eventually sorted this out then.
I would guess you were born and bred in Southern England because of the way you label them.
Regional difference in language is a notoriously difficult thing to get right but Wikipedia seems to have made a reasonable stab.
Turnip (disambiguation) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip_%28disambiguation%29)
This is perfectly consistent with what DeHaviLand and I are claiming and it's consistent with your claim if indeed you were bred in Southern England.
No i am not a Southerner.
3 small ones Turnip.
Large one Swede.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd225/pinklipspinkkisses/turnipandswede.jpg
changilass
04-Jan-10, 19:28
Ohhh dear Kevin you have made a very basic mistake.
When moving to a new area as a missionary, do not try to tell the locals that there national dish is falsley named.
Stick to trying to stop them from eating their young, you will have more success that way.
Ah you misunderstood shazzap. I worked in tescos for about 6 months in the produce isle and to me the swedes don't look any different to a turnip so i think its just a different name. I know of the white ones you mean but i think its properly just the way they have been grown. The ones for tesco are mass produced the white ones you are after could've been grown for longer in better ground perhaps.
To me a swede is a turnip and a turnip is a swede. Wouldn't know what the white and orange ones taste like as i don't like the taste of turnip at all. No idea where the name swede came from. It sounds like something to with a pig to me
Sorry Vistravi but i have never heared such a load of twaddle.:)
Only on the org could civil war break out following a question about vegetables lol.
The north south divide is alive and kicking :lol:
Changilass i have just had a chuckle to myself over this.[lol]
I just cut up a bloomin neep [disgust] cant stand doin it. Near lost ma fingers doin it. Maybe i will buy frozen next time cos i cana afford til loose a finger
I'm all for neeps too Shelley. :lol: Get yourself one of these. Absolutely brilliant for cutting them.
http://www.pamperedchef.co.uk/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=27278&catId=4&parentCatId=4&outletSubCat=&viewAllOutlet=
ShelleyCowie
04-Jan-10, 19:37
I'm all for neeps too Shelley. :lol: Get yourself one of these. Absolutely brilliant for cutting them.
http://www.pamperedchef.co.uk/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=27278&catId=4&parentCatId=4&outletSubCat=&viewAllOutlet=
R u sure thats not gonna take ma fingers off? :eek: Looks dangerous. Please also bare in mind i am a very clumsy/accident prone person!
A swede (below left) and a turnip(below right) attached for reference.
The picture of the 3 things you call turnip are acually called Garden neeps in Caithness and the large one in the pic that you call swede is what i call a neep. :)
Swede is short for Swedish Turnip. Some varieties are Best of all, Marian and Brora. Swedes are hard and keep well into the winter. Farmers grow them for feeding animals and supplying to shops in autumn and winter.
The other type of turnip are soft and very quick to mature. They are available in the spring and summer. Varieties include Snowball, Golden Ball and Purple Top Milan.
porshiepoo
04-Jan-10, 19:43
I've always assumed them to be seperate veggies, although I do know they are both related and are from the Cabbage family.
However, here's what I found on the net (can't believe I actually looked this up lol)
There is often confusion about the differences between the turnip and the Swede. The Swede 'Brassica napobrassiac ' is from Sweden (unsurprisingly) and was introduced to the UK as the Swedish turnip and the name later became shortened to Swede.
To add to the confusion the Swede 'is often known as a turnip or neep in Scotland and the turnip goes by the same name. Indeed the word turnip comes from the Scottish word 'neep'.
They are most certainly 2 different veg (although the above statement is rather confusing) but as to why we find more of one than the other up here I don't know. Perhaps it's because the Swede is more of a traditional veggie up here and to have both would just cause too much confusion or the Turnip is not deemed necessary when the Swede is more in demand.
O Eck! Who knows? It could be any amount of different reasons.
The sheep get 'em.
I feed neeps to my sheep not turnips. [lol]
A swede (below left) and a turnip(below right) attached for reference.
[lol] Brilliant - one of the funniest things I've seen here but you missed out Alex Salmond and Gordon Brown who would be termed a pair o' neeps!
We have established that Scots call Swedes and Turnips neeps.
But that doesen't take away the fact that they are two completely different vegetables with different names( Latin and common ).
I was asking about the turnip because i prefer it to the Swede, so now you all know what i am on about where can i get one.
Also
Sorry for causing world war 3
NOT[lol][lol][lol]
porshiepoo
04-Jan-10, 19:53
We have established that Scots call Swedes and Turnips neeps.
But that doesen't take away the fact that they are two completely different vegetables with different names( Latin and common ).
I was asking about the turnip because i prefer it to the Swede, so now you all know what i am on about where can i get one.
Also
Sorry for causing world war 3
NOT[lol][lol][lol]
Grow em yourself.
changilass
04-Jan-10, 19:58
Foxy - your garden neeps are yummy.
Just thought I'd add that if folk are looking for proper neeps instead o the wee things in the supermarkets go up to Geddes in Henderson street (above William Wilsons). I bought 2 the other day, they were bigger than footballs and so tasty. Oh and at 50p each a bargain !! :)
George Brims
04-Jan-10, 20:02
As the person who straightened this out on Wikipedia a few months ago, let me add to the confusion. There are THREE types of neep!
1. The Swede (also known as the rutabaga, its original Swedish name) is the big one with the purple top and yellow sides, grown in fields for both human and animal consumption. It is actually a cross between cabbage and the next kind.
2. The (farm) turnip is similar in size but has a green top. It isn't anything like as sweet as the Swede, so it is only used to feed farm animals.
3. The little white one with the purple on top is the garden turnip. I don't like them myself.
A Caithness person will use "neep" for any of those, depending on the context, but when your mum sends you to the farm yard for "a neep for the stew", it is not a good idea to come back with the green-topped one (trust me on this).
R u sure thats not gonna take ma fingers off? :eek: Looks dangerous. Please also bare in mind i am a very clumsy/accident prone person!
Would you prefer a hacksaw to a knife for cutting up the neeps? i'm sure we have one that i use for cutting up pineapples :lol:
Sorry Vistravi but i have never heared such a load of twaddle.:).
Aye well twaddle is twaddle :lol:
It's a neep to me regardless of colour. ;)
Poltney News in Dempster St sell Local Neeps for only 50p each
Poltney News in Dempster St sell Local Neeps for only 50p each
Thank you.:)
Kevin Milkins
04-Jan-10, 21:31
Ohhh dear Kevin you have made a very basic mistake.
When moving to a new area as a missionary, do not try to tell the locals that there national dish is falsley named.
Stick to trying to stop them from eating their young, you will have more success that way.
:eek: I didn't think I was trying to tell the locals anything, I was mearly trying to point out that I was under the misconception that mince with neeps and tatties consisted of turnips, potatoes and mince, and it took me some time to realise that what I would regard as a swede you would regard as a neep.
http://www.molesseeds.co.uk/flower_and_vegetable_seed_store_uk/section-conventional-on.jpg (http://www.molesseeds.co.uk/flower_and_vegetable_seed_store_uk/conventional-vegetables.html)
if you follow the link to swedes and then turnips and you may agree that it could be an easy misunderstanding to make.
Anyway, lets settle down for my supper of Welsh Rabbit, (cheese on toast).;)
Anyway, lets settle down for my supper of Welsh Rabbit, (cheese on toast).quote]
Now thats another story.:lol:[lol];)
Anyway, lets settle down for my supper of Welsh Rabbit, (cheese on toast).quote]
Now thats another story.
An interesting name for cheese on toast....Did it try to hop away? ;):lol:
An interesting name for cheese on toast....Did it try to hop away? ;):lol:
Definitely a "rare bit" of information there. Similar to the toad in the hole. [lol]
As the person who straightened this out on Wikipedia a few months ago, let me add to the confusion. There are THREE types of neep!
1. The Swede (also known as the rutabaga, its original Swedish name) is the big one with the purple top and yellow sides, grown in fields for both human and animal consumption. It is actually a cross between cabbage and the next kind.
2. The (farm) turnip is similar in size but has a green top. It isn't anything like as sweet as the Swede, so it is only used to feed farm animals.
3. The little white one with the purple on top is the garden turnip. I don't like them myself.
A Caithness person will use "neep" for any of those, depending on the context, but when your mum sends you to the farm yard for "a neep for the stew", it is not a good idea to come back with the green-topped one (trust me on this).
Thank you George but I suspect your opus minimus on regional variation in root vegetable etymology will be lost on some. I tried to keep the confusion to the minimum by not bringing in the third type but that didn't help.
Returning to the London discussions I mentioned previously, you might like to know that a friend from one part of Yorkshire swears they are all turnips and the one from elsewhere in the same county refers to what shazzap calls a turnip as a swede and vice versa! I'm pleased to report that all Scots from all areas called them all neeps. :D
In your neck of the woods I remember seeing rutabaga, zucchini, eggplant and a dozen types of squash in TJ's for the first time and realising I didn't speak as much of the language as I thought!
George Brims
05-Jan-10, 00:31
Well though I said Caithness people will use neep for any of them, I should have also said they will specify a Swede or a turnip or a garden turnip as needed in order to sort them out. I wonder if anyone even grows the non-garden, non-Swede type any more. Cattle used to be fed on both the farm grown types until silage and grain came to predominate. My late aunt Barbara (from Bower) swore the beef didn't taste as good once feeding the coos neeps was abandoned.
The veggies you mention are Swedes, courgettes, aubergines and well, squash in Scotland!
As for cutting up neeps (or anything else) go to eBay and buy an Ulu knife. I bought one in Alaska the year before last. It's like a french chef's demi-lunette. Mind your fingers though! They can be literally razor sharp.
The veggies you mention are Swedes, courgettes, aubergines and well, squash in Scotland!Yes they're called squash here too but this was a long time ago and I was amazed to see so many different types of a vegetable I'd never heard of. I bought a squash of a random variety and cooked it as I would a neep and it tasted ok, if a little sweet and mushy.
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