The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a

root vegetable Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as food. Although botany distinguishes true roots (such as taproots and tuberous roots) from non-roots (such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers, although some contain both hypocotyl a ...

commonly grown in

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

s worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

. The name ''turnip'' used in many regions may also include rutabaga, ''neep'' or ''swede''.

Etymology

The origin of the word ''turnip'' is uncertain, though it is hypothesised that it could be a compound of ''turn'' as in turned/rounded on a

lathe A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...

and ''neep'', derived from Latin ''napus'', the word for the plant. According to

An Universal Etymological English Dictionary ''An Universal Etymological English Dictionary'' was a dictionary compiled by Nathan Bailey (or Nathaniel Bailey) and first published in London in 1721. It was the most popular English dictionary of the eighteenth century. As an indicator of its ...

, ''turn'' refers to "round ''napus'' to distinguish it from the napi, which were generally long".

Description

The most common type of turnip is mostly white-skinned apart from the upper , which protrude above the ground and are purple or red or greenish where the sun has hit. This above-ground part develops from stem tissue, but is fused with the root. The interior flesh is entirely white. The root is roughly globular, from in diameter, and lacks side roots. Underneath, the taproot (the normal root below the swollen storage root) is thin and or more in length; it is often trimmed off before the vegetable is sold. The leaves grow directly from the above-ground shoulder of the root, with little or no visible crown or neck (as found in rutabagas). Turnip

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are sometimes eaten as "turnip greens" ("turnip tops" in the UK), and they resemble mustard greens (to which they are closely related) in flavor. Turnip greens are a common side dish in southeastern U.S. cooking, primarily during late Fall and Winter. Smaller leaves are preferred. Varieties of turnip grown specifically for their leaves resemble mustard greens and have small roots. These include rapini (broccoli rabe),

bok choy Bok choy (American English, Canadian English, and Australian English), pak choi (British English) or pok choi (''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''chinensis'') is a type of Chinese cabbage, used as food. ''Chinensis'' varieties do not form heads and have g ...

, and Chinese cabbage. Similar to raw

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

or radish, turnip leaves and roots have a pungent flavor that becomes milder after cooking. 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 the turnip has grown.

Nutrition

Boiled green leaves of the turnip top ("turnip greens") provide of food energy in a reference serving of , and are 93% water, 4%

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ma ...

s, and 1%

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

, with negligible

fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers spec ...

(table). The boiled greens are a rich source (more than 20% of the Daily Value, DV) particularly of

vitamin K Vitamin K refers to structurally similar, fat-soluble vitamers found in foods and marketed as dietary supplements. The human body requires vitamin K for post-synthesis modification of certain proteins that are required for blood coagulation ...

(350% DV), with

vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably bet ...

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...

, and folate also in significant content (30% DV or greater, table). Boiled turnip greens also contain substantial

lutein Lutein (;"Lutein"

micrograms per 100 g). In a 100-gram reference amount, boiled turnip root supplies , with only vitamin C in a moderate amount (14% DV). Other

micronutrient Micronutrients are nutrient, essential dietary elements required by organisms in varying quantities throughout life to orchestrate a range of physiological functions to maintain health. Micronutrient requirements differ between organisms; for exam ...

s in boiled turnip are in low or negligible content (table). Boiled turnip is 94% water, 5% carbohydrates, and 1% protein, with negligible fat.

History

Wild forms of the turnip and its relatives, the mustards and radishes, are found over western Asia and Europe. Starting as early as 2000 BCE, related oilseed subspecies of ''Brassica rapa'' like ''oleifera'' may have been domesticated several times from the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

to India, though these are not the same turnips cultivated for its roots. Previous estimates of domestication dates are limited to linguistic analyses of plant names. Edible turnips were first domesticated in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

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 In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

world. The turnip spread to China, and reached Japan by 700 CE. Turnips were an important crop in the

cuisine of Antebellum America The cuisine of the antebellum United States characterizes American eating and cooking habits from about 1776 to 1861. During this period different regions of the United States adapted to their surroundings and cultural backgrounds to create specif ...

. 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 A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

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.

Cultivation

The 1881 American '' Household Cyclopedia'' advises that turnips can be grown in fields that have been

harrowed In agriculture, a harrow is a farm implement used for surface tillage. It is used after ploughing for breaking up and smoothing out the surface of the soil. The purpose of harrowing is to break up clods and to provide a soil structure, call ...

and ploughed. It recommends planting in late May or June and weeding and thinning with a

hoe Hoe or HOE may refer to: * Hoe (food), a Korean dish of raw fish * Hoe (letter), a Georgian letter * Hoe (tool), a hand tool used in gardening and farming ** Hoe-farming, a term for primitive forms of agriculture * Backhoe, a piece of excavati ...

throughout the summer. 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. 55–60 days is the average time from planting to harvest. 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. File:Brosen flower nn1.jpg, Turnip (flower) File:CSA-Tokyo-Turnips.jpg, A bundle of Tokyo turnips

Relevance in human use

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 United States, the smaller white vegetables are called turnips, while the larger yellow ones are referred to as

rutabagas Rutabaga (; North American English) or swede (British English and some Commonwealth English) is a root vegetable, a form of ''Brassica napus'' (which also includes rapeseed). Other names include Swedish turnip, neep (Scots), and turnip (Scotti ...

, a borrowing from

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

'' rotabagge'' (a dialectal word from

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

). In most of England, turnips are the same, while the larger yellow ones are referred to as swedes. In Scotland, the larger yellow vegetables are referred to as turnips. In the Austrian region of

Wildschönau Wildschönau is a municipality within the district of Kufstein in the state of Tyrol 6 km south of Wörgl. The 24 km long high valley near Wörgl is one of the district's tourist centers. Besides a few hamlets, the municipality consists ...

farmers produce a kind of

schnaps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neu ...

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.

Heraldry

The turnip is an old vegetable charge in

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

. It was used by

Leonhard von Keutschach Leonhard von Keutschach (c. 1442 – 8 June 1519) was Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1495 until his death, the last to rule in the feudal style. Biography He was probably born at Viktring in Carinthia, the son of Otto von Keutschach, a ...

prince-archbishop of Salzburg The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg (german: Fürsterzbistum Salzburg; Erzstift Salzburg; Erzbistum Salzburg) was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops of ...

. The turnip is still the heart shield in the arms of Keutschach am See. The arms of the former municipality of

Kiikala Kiikala () is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Salo on January 1, 2009. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality had a population of 1,872 (2004-12- ...

, Finland, were ''Gules, a turnip Or''.

References

External links

Multilingual taxonomic information from the University of Melbourne

{{Authority control Brassica Crops originating from Europe Leaf vegetables Root vegetables Crops