Rutabaga is a very popular vegetable in Ireland, but the name is never used by the Irish to describe this favorite side for a chicken roast, ham or bacon dinner.
The Irish call this root vegetable a turnip. The English call it a swede, and in Scotland it is often called a neep.
The term rutabaga comes from the Swedish word “rotabagge”. It is a bulbous root vegetable with a purple hued outer skin covering a dense inner yellow core.
Practically every time I buy a rutabaga at the grocery store, the check-out guy or gal holds it up with a quizzical expression.
“What’s this called,” comes the inevitable question.
I think very few Americans buy rutabagas, probably because they simply don’t know how to cook them. Today I will solve that problem with a short tutorial on how to peel and cut a rutabaga before boiling it – the tried and trusted cooking method of most Irish cooks.
My thoughts turn to rutabagas with Thanksgiving approaching. I know it is not a traditional vegetable for Americans to serve, but a turnip tale links it to this holiday for me.
When I was close to seven months pregnant with my triplets, my aunt visited for Thanksgiving. She was born in Ireland, but has lived in America for over fifty years. She suggested we have Irish mashed turnips with our turkey that year, since serving rutabaga at Thanksgiving had become a personal tradition for her over the years.
Despite resembling a moving mountain at this point in my pregnancy, I dutifully waddled to the grocery store, plonked my colossal self into a motorized cart, and sped through the vegetable aisles, never dreaming there might be a shortage of rutabagas. Lo and behold there wasn’t a single rutabaga to be had.
“We always run out of rutabagas at Thanksgiving,” the produce manager explained. “It’s the one time of year they are in demand.”
I returned home shocked and empty-handed.
But never fear!
Irish American Dad fancied a scoop of mashed turnip instead of an overly-sweet, sweet potato casserole that year. He rose to the challenge, searching high and low, from grocery store to fresh fruit market, along the turnip trail.
He did not fail us. He found one hiding beneath a head of cabbage in a Meijers store far, far away. And so that year we gave thanks, for one man’s perseverance in his quest to deliver a Thanksgiving rutabaga.
So enough of my waffling, let’s get down to cooking this tough little root.
The most difficult and dangerous part of this process is cutting up the rutabaga. When picking one in the grocery store, I try to find one with a flat bottom end. It makes it much easier to balance to make that first cut through the hard inner core.
Place the root on a cutting board, balanced on its flattest end. Cut through the middle separating it into two equal halves.
Turn each half onto its flat side, then cut it into 1/2 inch thick semi-circles. Throw away the first and last piece which are covered in thicker skin.
Use a paring knife to remove the outer skin. This method is much easier than trying to peel a rutabaga with a potato peeler – really a mission impossible.
Next cut each piece into one inch cubes. Each semi-circle usually yields nine cubes by cutting 3 vertical slices and then three more perpendicular slices.
Add the diced rutabaga to a medium saucepan and cover it with cold water. Some of the pieces will float in the water making it impossible to cover the top by an inch. Season with salt at this point.
Make sure you add plenty of water though. If the pot boils dry the smell of burnt rutabaga is horrible. Believe me – I know from experience.
Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes until the rutabaga is fork tender. It takes quite a long time to boil this tough little vegetable.
Drain the boiling water once the rutabaga is cooked. Return it to the pot. Use a potato masher to break it up. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper. I use white pepper since I don’t like black flecks through my turnip. Mash it well together to make sure the melted butter is thoroughly mixed through.
Sour cream can be used instead of butter. Its flavor compliments the sweet yet tangy taste of the rutabagas. Some people like puree the rutabaga in a food processor, but I prefer to leave a little bit of texture by using a potato masher.
Served hot, as a side for roast turkey dinner, mashed rutabagas are simply delicious.
I love two nice, big mounds of rutabaga mash on my plate. Once I dined at a fancy restaurant in New Jersey. I grew excited when I saw a pork dish on the menu with a side of rutabaga puree. Oh how disappointed I was when all I got was a yellow squiggle of rutabaga on my plate. It didn’t fill a hole in my tooth.
So heap those rutabagas onto your plate. Not only do they taste great, they’re good for you too.
Happy Thanksgiving cooking to all.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Sp happy to find this article and the Irish root of this side dish (pun intended). My Irish grandmother always served “mashed turnip”, even bi-weekly.
Family recipe tip: Gram used to use the leftover bacon grease from breakfast that morning to include in the turnips when mashing! (of course, this takes it from being vegetarian but for those that do not care, it is an awesome flavor addition!!!)
Hi Erin – Many thanks for checking out my recipe and ramblings about turnips. It’s lovely to hear that your Irish grandmother continued the tradition of mashed turnip in your family. Like you, I love the added flavor of bacon grease in my turnips. I frequently prepare them to serve with ham or a ham steak with pineapple. Simply delicious!
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I love turnips. I serve it every Thanksgiving. And, I do eat it several times throughout the year. One of my favorite ways to eat it is with boiled pork and sauerkraut as a side. I will mash the turnip and blend it in with mashed potatoes. It is so delicious.
Hi Pam – I’ve never tried sauerkraut with turnip, but it sounds like a perfect match. Thanks so much for this tasty tip.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I’ve noticed sometimes that I find “woody” pieces of rutabaga in the pot when I cook them. Is it because the skin is thicker than it appears, or is it the woody portion up at the top of the root, the purple part, that is exposed more to the sun? Do you know how to avoid the denser, woody part of the root? I usually buy the smaller ones because I figured they are less likely to have those fibrous parts, but I still find these woodier pieces in the pot once they are cooked. Thanks.
Hi Bill – I think the woody problem is that the skin is thicker than it appears at first. Using a paring knife rather than a scraping peeler is best. You need to cut about a 1/4 inch below the outer purple skin layer.
All the best,
Mairéad
Such a pleasure to have found your website. I have Irish roots so it’s no wonder that I was salivating while this vegetable was cooking. It went right to the core of me!
I’m now a lover of this strange looking, beautiful vegetable.
I must be honest, i haven’t followed your recipe yet, but I WILL! I found another recipe which told me to cube it, steam (or par-boil boil it) and then finish it on the stove sauteed with onion, garlic, salt and pepper and curry powder. Delicious!!!!!!!!!!
Yours is next, I promise!
Greetings from NY!
Hi Alice – The addition of curry powder to mashed rutabaga sounds wonderful – I’ll have to try that.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day,
Mairéad
☘️☘️☘️
MMM, sounds delicious. We grew up with this baby (Swede in Brit) and no one I knew at the time, in the US, knew what I was talking about. It has been years since I have eaten it. I was diagnosed with Diabetes and my usual dietary needs was to be changed if I wish to get healthier with less carbs. So I Just boiled some, mashed with Avocado Butter. For me this could be addictive!
Hi Dugene – It’s lovely to hear you have rediscovered the swede or rutabaga. Avocado butter in mashed rutabaga sounds wonderful. Wishing you every success as you transform your diet to help stay healthy and keep your diabetes under control. Thanks so much for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
My grandmother boiled a carrot and a med sized potato with the turnip, mashed it all together, add salt, pepper, several pats of butter to taste and 1 tab of brown sugar, yum😋
Hi Nancy – That sounds like a yummy combination. Thanks for stopping by to join our discussion about all things rutabaga and turnip.
All the best,
Mairéad
These vegetables are becoming a staple in the keto world… many use them as a replacement to potatoes. I’m giving the ol’ root vegetable a whirl tonight. I’m going to make French fries with it. Not sure how itll turn out so just in case I’m making plenty of other stuff 🙂
Hi Marissa – I hope you enjoyed your rutabaga fries and thanks for letting me know this veggie of my childhood is keto friendly.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
LOL – I finally understand!
A couple of years ago I made a winter vegetable recipe that used turnips, and I was surprised to find that they were long and white when I thought turnip was orange.
Another time, my sister served “Mom’s” rutabagas for Christmas dinner. It sure looked like what I remembered as turnip, but I decided I had somehow gotten mixed up. Now, thanks to you, I am sure I was told as a kid that it was turnip and never knew what rutabaga was until my sister made it for Christmas. In my 60s I learned I like rutabaga a lot more than I liked mashed turnip as a kid.I finally know the difference!
Now I know I have to look for RUTABAGAS at the store and you have taught me how to make it for myself. I will laugh and think of this website every time rutabaga is mentioned, but I will call it “turnip” in honor of my Irish heritage.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!
Eileen
Hi Eileen – Whatever we call these veggies, turnips or rutabagas or swedes, these roots are definitely part of our Irish roots.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you and yours too.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I am in Ireland right now. Just had Irish Turnip for lunch with grilled salmon. It was delicious. 😋
Have a lovely time in Ireland. So glad you enjoyed some Irish style turnip – a perfect side for salmon. Happy travels,
Mairéad
My mother from Donegal (nee McElchar) taught me to cook the swedes in a pressure cooker. This greatly reduces the necessary cooking time. My father from Strabane told me the turnips were primarily fed to the cattle. We love the turnips and have them frequently during the winter months. This is not a favorite of my children.
Also a local Irish restaurant features mashed turnips and carrots.
All the best
Hi Ed – My father, who grew up in County Cork, also says that swedes, or turnips as we say in Ireland, were fed to the cattle during the winter. But he still loved mashed turnips and potatoes for his dinner.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my recipe.
Mairéad
Back in the day my mom ate rutabagas out of a can and they were so good but since having my own family now i like to get fresh rutabagas and turnips to prepare as a mash. The turnips i dice and cook along with a combination of turnip and mustard greens. Folks just don’t know what they are missing if they don’t try your nice recipe. Thanks !
Hi Evelyn – I agree that folks don’t know what they’re missing if they don’t give rutabagas a try. They’re a taste of my Irish childhood.
All the best, and thanks for stopping by.
Mairéad
Mom was from Cavan, not far from Swanlinbar, so I learned to cook this from her. It was always served for holiday meals.
After the turnip was mashed (as you said, this leaves a texture some prefer), we fried a few slices of bacon in a pan until crispy, removed the bacon, and then added the mashed turnip.
Then fry to remove some of the excess moisture. When done, put in serving bowl and crumble the cooked bacon across it.
Of course, we did the same thing with the cabbage greens also. Never saw cabbage cooked over there like it usually is here.
Hi Liam – Thanks for sharing your turnip or rutabaga cooking tips. Frying off the excess moisture in a bacon infused pan is a great idea. When I cook cabbage I wrap some bacon strips and peppercorns in a cabbage leaf to add flavor to the water I use for boiling it. Here’s a link for my Irish style cabbage…
https://www.irishamericanmom.com/how-to-cook-cabbage-irish-style/
All the best,
Mairéad
Hello from upstate New York,
I grow 10 rutabaga seeds each year, I get about 8 usable swedes. Very easy to grow and one packet of seeds will last 5-10 years. Easier to cut when fresh. Used a sharpened paring knife with a fat rubber handle. I get about 30 lbs each year. I parboil and freeze in bags for winter. Butter makes this super cheap food awesome.
Hi Karly – thanks for sharing your tips for growing rutabaga from seeds. Parboiling and freezing your fresh rutabaga harvest is a great idea. How wonderful to have rutabaga in your freezer ready for cooking throughout the winter months. And I totally agree with you about butter – it’s a simple addition but takes rutabaga to a whole new level of excellence.
All the best,
Mairéad
Turnip blitized to a puree real butter salt and white pepper a must
Hi Valerie- Thanks for letting us know how you like to blitz your rutabaga to a purée. I usually just mash mine, but I’ve had it puréed in a restaurant and it was delicious. Many thanks for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
My dad always made “yellow turnip” for Thanksgiving, & I’ve continued the tradition. He always changed the water in the pot half way thru cooking, saying it made it less gas He also added a spoon of sugar when mashing (probably due to his German heritage.) I’ve always had difficulty peeling & cutting it, so I look forward to using your method this year.
My family is of Irish descent, and we always have mashed rutabagas on our Thanksgiving table. I never knew they had Irish roots, though. I just know they are delicious! I just bought eleven of them, which I will mash up for our feast. I always buy plenty, because I love to freeze them to have for other times throughout the year. I’m going to try your method to cut them up this holiday. That’s the hardest part of preparing this awesome vegetable. Thank you for all the information, I can’t wait to share it with my family. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Hi Denise – What a great idea to cook so many rutabagas together and then save the extras by freezing them. It’s amazing how many rutabaga fans have found this little tutorial, and then to discover that so many of us have Irish roots.
Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your rutabaga this week.
All the best,
Mairéad
My Dad was from Cavan & always made “turnips” for the holidays as I continue to do for my family. The hardest part is slicing it up, hopefully easier your way this year. He always fried 2 or 3 slices of bacon per rutabaga & sauted about 1/3 cup of diced onion in the bacon grease then added the cooked rutabaga along with the bacon bits, salt & pepper. Not the healthiest but a couple times a year it’s pure heaven!! Happy Thanksgiving.
I’m sorry that you couldn’t find any rutabagas, and it must be a regional thing, certainly not an “American” thing. Living in the southeast USA, we have rutabagas in our grocery stores, on our mom and pop buffets and in our grandmothers’ kitchens. People grow turnip greens by the half acre, and eat the turnips cooked as well as the leaves. Maybe it was the Irish settlers that brought it, since we have a lot of Irish immigrants to this area. Come on down and we’ll eat a “mess” of some good cooked rutabagas!
Hi Lois – I have heard that turnips and rutabagas feature frequently in southern cooking. I was introduced to turnip greens in Florida, and continued to enjoy them in Texas and Kentucky. You may be on to something about how Irish immigrants may have brought their love of this veg to the south.
All the best, and thanks for stopping by.
Mairéad
I grew up eating rutabaga (Swedish dad/Irish mom) and I still cook them fairly often. No one I’ve served rutabaga has ever had it before which seems a bit odd as every supermarket or green grocery I’ve ever been in (Chicago-land) has rutabaga for sale. As someone else commented the cashier often has no idea what it is. Raw rutabaga is good in a salad-cut in thin stick shapes. I use a wide peeler to peel the rutabaga intact, then I slice it. I pretty much follow your recipe for cooking. I also use it in stew and among piles of oven roasted vegetables.
Hi Eric – I too am always amazed at how cashiers never seem to know what a rutabaga is. It makes me wonder if I’m the only one buying them. I hope they don’t have to throw any rutabagas away because they spoil before getting bought. I love all your tips for including rutabaga in your diet. They are delicious, for sure, in a roasted vegetable medley. Thanks so much for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad