White Turnip

Turnip is a vegetable that can cause a lot of confusion. A couple different vegetables go by the name. We'll clear things up for you.

White Turnip

White Turnip
The true turnip, this smaller white and purple root vegetable is easily found in grocery stores.

Rutabaga or Swede - not actually Turnip
This is a much larger, more yellow or orange fleshed vegetable, also commonly called turnip.

Turnip on the left, Rutabaga on the right

Are they really that different?

They do taste a bit different and white turnip is lower on the glycemic index than rutabaga.

What do I do with it?

Turnips have been eaten in the West for centuries. Traditionally, both turnips and rutabagas are boiled and mashed, providing a cheap nutritious dish. Turnip roasts beautifully and can also be sliced thin and baked into chips. Try substituting turnip for potato to reduce the carb count in recipes.