Getting To Know Your Roots

Rutabaga In The Rough

Those of you who read yesterday's post on the value of ancestral eating and getting to know your food roots will not be surprised to learn that the subject of today's post, is indeed, the humble, and often misunderstood and undervalued, rutabaga. The rutabaga, which is essentially an 18th-century invention, is actually a cross between a turnip and cabbage that has proven itself, historically, as a reliable food crop and source of sustenance in times of famine.  The rutabaga, much like the turnip root, can be prepared in a variety of ways. Though I am told that rutabaga greens can be eaten as a leaf green, and can easily identify and am familiar with carrot greens, beet greens, turnip greens and even kohlrabi greens, I have yet to meet or eat, for that matter, a rutabaga green. Which is probably an indication that I have never grown rutabagas in my garden.  Perhaps, there will be a future rutabaga garden project in the works?

The rutabaga is a cool season crop.  Which means that the seeds are best sown in late summer so the plant can mature during the cooler autumn months. Reputed to be easy to grow and with a preference for cooler northern climates, the rutabaga has nourished Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, Germans, and Scots alike.

IT'S A TOUGH ROOT

Admittedly, the rutabaga, with its rough tough appearance, is not the most friendly looking root vegetable on the block, but I happen to be very fond of it -  ridged neck, warts, furry roots and all. As you can see from the photo below a peeled rutabaga has a lovely peachy-creamy flesh which becomes darker as it cooks.

A Root That Cleans Up Well

I find the rutabaga very flavorful, exceptionally flavorful, in fact.  Unlike, the popular tuberous root vegetable, sweet potato, whose bland flavor, though admittedly there are those random and marvelously welcome exceptions, I often amend with a dash of spicy cayenne and ground cinnamon, the pleasantly sweet flavor of rutabaga stands all on its own with just a bit of butter, salt and pepper.

 Ready To Boil and Bash

Rutabagas are very popular in Scotland where neeps (or bashed neeps) and tatties (potatoes boiled and mashed) are traditionally served right along side the iconic dish of Scottish haggis. Historically, haggis, which is essentially made from sheep offal - minced heart, liver, lung, oats, suet, and seasoning  - stuffed into a sheep stomach, was a common and inexpensive dish of the poor.  Today modern haggis, and its many variants, even a vegetarian version prepared with pulses and chopped nuts, (a subject for future posts, no doubt), is served in fast-food establishments, deep-fried, as well as in stylish restaurants.

A Nice Dish Of Bashed Neeps