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.
In Ireland, this favorite Thanksgiving vegetable is called a turnip.
Why Do The Irish Call A Rutabaga A Turnip?
The Irish call this root vegetable a turnip. Why exactly is not clear.
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.
American rutabagss, Irish yellow turnips and British swedes all belong to the Brassica napobrassica family of plants.
Now small little white turnips are technically called Brassica rapa. These smaller, white fleshed roots are very popular in southern American cooking, and provide us with that ever so southern staple, their famous turnip greens.
Rutabagas for Thanksgiving:
My thoughts turn to rutabagas with Thanksgiving approaching. I know it’s 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 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.
And being an Irish man, he knew exactly what he was looking for, once we told him he was on a quest for a good, old Irish turnip.
Purchasing Rutabaga in America:
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.
So be prepared to advise the checkout person that the vegetable they are weighing and scanning is a rutabaga.
However, things are beginning to change in the American rutabaga world. They’re becoming a staple in the Keto loving community, with many Keto lovers using them as a replacement for potatoes.
There are many ways to cook turnips or rutabagas. They’re delicious in soups and many people love to roast them. I make a delicious carrot and rutabaga soup which you might enjoy.
But no matter which recipe you choose, the first step to cooking with rutabaga, involves peeling it.
How To Peel and Prepare A Rutabaga, Swede or Irish Turnip for Cooking:
Today I will solve that problem of how to prepare a rutabaga for cooking, with a short synopsis of my more in-depth tutorial on how to peel and cut a rutabaga.
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.
Perform this step with care.
Some people like to microwave the rutabaga before peeling it to make the whole process easier.
I personally don’t microwave my rutabaga before peeling, but I have years of rutabaga cutting experience under my belt. What a claim to fame!
If you would like to soften your rutabaga in the microwave to make it easier to peel, then follow these steps.
- Prick the rutabaga skin in several places with a skewer.
- Wrap it in damp paper towels and place it in a microwavable dish.
- Cook it on the high microwave setting for 5 minutes.
- Then turn it upside down and repeat for another 5 minutes.
- Remove it from the microwave and allow it to cool before slicing it in half as directed above.
- You are now ready to move on with the next steps outlined below.
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.
Now you’re ready to cook your rutabaga.
Today we’re going to be boiling our turnip or rutabaga using the tried and trusted cooking method of most Irish cooks.
So enough of my waffling, let’s get down to cooking this tough little root. Here’s my traditional recipe, handed down from my mother, and her mother before her.
Ingredients for Irish Style Mashed Rutabaga:
Here you’ll find a quick list of what you’ll need for this recipe. Check out the printable recipe at the bottom of this post for US and Metric equivalent versions of the recipe. There you can choose the measurement system that works best for you.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- rutabaga
- butter
- salt
- white pepper
- sour cream (optional)
- light brown sugar (optional)
Directions for Cooking A Turnip Irish Style:
Here you’ll find step-by-step photographic instructions to help you recreate this recipe successfully. There are plenty of tips included along the way.
Peel and cube the rutabaga.
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.
If you microwaved your rutabaga when peeling it, the cooking time will be a little shorter.
Drain the boiling water once the rutabaga is cooked. Return it to the pot.
Use a potato masher to break it up. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and white pepper.
Most Irish people use white pepper since we don’t like black flecks through mashed turnip.
Mash the rutabaga well together to make sure the melted butter is thoroughly mixed through.
Add the sour cream, if using, and mix through the rutabaga mash.
If you wish to limit how much butter you use, you can omit butter and increase the amount of sour cream used instead of using butter.
Sour cream flavor compliments the sweet yet tangy taste of the rutabagas. Some people like to purée the rutabaga in a food processor, but I prefer to leave a little bit of texture by using a potato masher.
Another tip to sweeten the rutabaga is to add a few teaspoons of brown sugar at this stage. It adds an extra layer of deliciousness.
I didn’t grow up eating brown sugar sweetened turnips so I’m going to make this step optional.
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.
Here’s the printable recipe:
Mashed Rutabaga
Ingredients
- 1 medium rutabaga peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons sour cream optional
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper optional
Instructions
- Peel and cube the rutabaga. Add the diced rutabaga to a medium saucepan and cover it with cold water.
- Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes until the rutabaga is fork tender.
- Drain the boiling water once the rutabaga is cooked. Return it to the pot. Use a potato masher to break it up. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and white pepper and mash again.
- Add the sour cream, if using, and mix through the rutabaga mash.
- Add the brown sugar, if using, and mix through the rutabaga mash.
- Serve hot as a vegetable side dish for dinner.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Irish people love to serve rutabaga with mashed potatoes. They’re delicious with Irish style fluffy mashed potatoes, which are made with floury potatoes and are less creamy than American style mash.
And for special dinners like Christmas and Thanksgiving we love to serve roast potatoes, with our turnips or rutabagas.
Rutabags or Irish turnips may not be on everyone’s menu, nor be to everyone’s taste. They probably fall firmly into either the ‘totally love it’ or ‘completely hate it’ category for nearly everyone.
Nevertheles, judging by all the wonderful comments on this blog post, readers around this little corner of the world wide web, definitely place it in the ‘love it’ category.
Happy Thanksgiving cooking to all, and thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Here are some more recipes and ramblings you might enjoy…
Shrimp and Cucumber Bites
Irish Expressions Of Gratitude For Thanksgiving
How To Steam A Christmas Or Plum Pudding In A Crockpot
Rutabagas are one of my favorite Irish foods! And I’ve also been aquainted with the smell of a burnt one 🙂
Jenn – It takes a day or two to get the stink of burnt turnip out of the house. Ever since my fiasco, when I forgot about the simmering pot on the stove, my motto is plenty of water in the rutabaga pot.
Take care,
Mairead
My parents were in Germany during the holidays one year and my mother was craving turnips and couldn’t find them anywhere. My parents happened upon a farmer with a load of turnips and begged to buy some… it was a hard fight as apparently in that region of Germany turnips were not thought to be fit for human consumption. It was considered pig fodder ! ! ! The farmer was very distressed when he found out my parents were going to feed the turnips to my brother.
I love this story. That poor German farmer would be horrified if he ever visited Ireland – we’re all raised on turnips.
All the best,
Mairead
My swedish grandmother cooked rutabagas all the time. A holiday favorite was mixed with mashed potatoes..she called it Routamoose……..I prepare it for Thanksgiving every year and the whole family is crazy about it….
Karen – Rutabagas mashed with potatoes are delicious. “Routamoose” – I love your grandmother’s name for this special mash.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving,
Mairéad
Try chopping a medium red chili into fine strings. Little more than a hairs berth. It lifts parsnips, turnips and Celeriac into something utterly sublime.
I also find it matters if you blitz or mash. Blitzing draws out more water, but there is nothing like a duck breast sliced and placed as an island in the middle of a sea of fine turnip.
Waste hitting whirling things again, on this side.
Vince – Red chili would really add an extra dimension to turnips. When I read this though I had visions of my mother adding that hint of heat to my father’s turnips. I can just hear him saying “‘Tis far from chilis I was raised”. But I, on the other hand, always love to trying new combinations and experiment in the kitchen. I think traditional Irish cooking is perfect for a little fusion of extra spices and flavors from around the world. The end product is often “utterly sublime”, as you point out.
Thanks again,
Mairead
Out of curiosity if you call a rutabaga a turnip what do you call a turnip? i have never tasted a rutabaga
but eat turnips.I will try them AFTER Thanksgiving so I don’t reduce the supply of them too. 🙂
Penny – I suppose we would call them “little turnips”, the rutabaga being granted the grand title of “big turnip”. Doesn’t it sound like a children’s book – “Big Turnip, Little Turnip”? I must get my thinking cap on and come up with a Turnip Tale for kids. To tell you the truth I never actually saw a small turnip in Ireland. We always had rutabagas, but I am sure they are available nowadays.
All the best,
Mairead
In Scotland we call a rutabaga a turnip and the small turnips are called swede.
Kate – We use the same names in Ireland. Turnip appears frequently on many Irish dinner plates.
All the best,
Mairead
I grew up in the South. Charleston, SC to be exact and we called rutabagas by their given names, or my grandmother called them Waxed Turnips. My grandmother made them for the holidays and I was one of a very few who loved them. She taught me how to cook them, and I make then every fall. My husband had never had one until I made them and now he loves them. The less common root vegetables get a bad rap.
Vida – I’m glad your grandmother introduced you to turnips or rutabagas and that you have passed your appreciation of this wonderful winter vegetable on to your family. It’s lovely to know I am not alone in my love of rutabagas.
All the best,
Mairead
Hi Mairead,
Always been a turnip in my house, the key ingredient in my beef stew, and one of my extra ingredients in my corned beef and cabbage.
Have a Happy thanksgiving,
Brian.
Have a great weekend Brian and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Mairead
So, just to be sure, this recipe could be used for turnips or rutabagas- right? We are getting a lot of turnips in our CSA box right now and I could definitely use more recipes for them! I have tried making mashed turnip and potatoes mixed together, but never the turnips by themselves. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful recipes!!
Aimee – If you use turnips instead of a rutabaga they will cook a little quicker. They are not quite as dense as a rutabaga. I like to add sour cream instead of butter when I mash turnips. I think a little hint of sour compliments their sweet flavor. Sweet and sour Irish style I suppose.
All the best,
Mairead
Wonderful, thanks for the tips! I happened to pick up a rutabaga at Whole Foods, so I think we’ll try both!
Great – the rutabaga will have a much stronger flavor than the turnips. I hope you like its distinctive taste.
Mairead
I’m excited to try it!! I proudly displayed my rutabaga to my husband, but sadly he just didn’t understand why I was so excited…. 🙂
Too funny, Aimee – my husband doesn’t get it either when I get all excited about a new recipe and can’t wait to try it. Though he doesn’t complain when he is chief taste tester.
Have a lovely week getting ready for Thanksgiving. I always enjoy planning the sides and doing the grocery shopping.
Best wishes,
Mairead
I mash rutabaga and white potato together
Great idea, Barbara. Thanks for stopping by.
Mairéad
Exactly Mairead! There are never any complaints while the taste testing is happening! Hope you are having a wonderful day so far! The planning is always my favorite part…making it all come together though is a little less fun for me. But just a little. 🙂
My family loves rutabaga, too. I add crumbled bacon and a little bacon grease to the mash as my Irish born mother did. She also added bacon to boiled/chopped cabbage as a side dish on occasion when not making corned beef and cabbage as a main dish.
Kathleen – Adding bacon to the rutabaga is a great idea. I also add it to my cabbage when I am not making corned beef. You can’t beat these dependable Irish vegetables for a great dinner.
All the best,
Mairead
Gosh, reading your blog is so refreshing. I’ve been picking out posts from your achives, and keep finding new reasons why I love it!
Rutabagas? One of my favorites. I buy them every chance I get. We have a produce place in our area called “Produce Junction”. All they have is fruit and vegetables. Everything is already bagged up. You go in and just tell them what you want. I buy rutabagas every time they have them. Usually two in a bag for a couple dollars.
I use them in soups, stews, mashed, but my favorite way to cook them is to roast them in a pan with other root vegetables!
I am cooking a ham today and we are having mashed rutabagas with it for Super Bowl Sunday dinner.
Your Super Bowl Sunday dinner sounds delicious. We love mashed rutabagas in my house too. I love to mix them with my mashed potato on my plate and then melt a big knob of butter in the middle of the pile. Lately my local grocery store has been stocking rutabagas. I often wonder if I am their primary rutabaga-buying customer. Anyway, enjoy your dinner and I hope your team wins the Super Bowl.
All the best,
Mairead
I love rutabaga. My grandma made them mashed at least two or three times a week when we were living with her as kids. 🙂
Shawn – Mashed rutabaga is such an Irish vegetable. I ate it with about the same frequency as you did as a child. I love it to this very day.
All the best,
Mairéad
Last (or maybe the year before) Thanksgiving my 100% Irish dad asked me to buy rutabagas and try to make them the way his first generation Irish mom (my grandmother) used to make them. He only had a vague idea how she made them. Steamed or boiled then mashed, with chicken stock maybe, maybe sauted onions and then brown sugar and maybe some spices. I tried that and they were sort of meh. I think dad was the only one who tried them and only because of my effort. Does this ring any bells for you on a recipe?
Kelly – I’m afraid your recipe does not ring a bell with me. Salt and white pepper were considered spices by my grandmothers, and that was as far as they went with seasonings. Rutabagas are usually boiled in water. Years ago my granny would have added diced rutabaga to the same pot as the boiling bacon, so that they would absorb some of the bacon flavor. After removing the bacon, she drained the water before mashing them. Boiling them in plain water works great though since they have a strong taste when cooked. Mashed with butter, salt and pepper is the typical old Irish way of serving them. I do add a dollop of sour cream since moving to America. I think it compliments their slightly bitter flavor.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Kelly – I make rutabaga the way my Irish born mother did. Cut it into small cubes and boil in salted water. Fry up some bacon (4-5 slices per “head”), cool and break into small pieces. When the rutabaga is done, drain it and mash it well. Add the bacon pieces plus salt and pepper to taste. Add some bacon grease to add extra flavor and moisture. If bacon isn’t your thing, I agree with Mairead about mashing it with butter, salt and pepper. I’m not big on sour cream so don’t know about that. Take care & have a good Thanksgiving. Kathleen
Kathleen – Adding bacon and a little bacon grease is a great idea. Thanks so much for your tips. Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving.
All the best,
Mairéad
A question: To simplify things tomorrow, I’d like to peel and cut my rutabaga today. Is it OK to do that? And if I do, should I keep it overnight in a bag with some water…or without?
If you pre-peel and slice your rutabaga I would store it covered in water in an airtight bowl or bag. If you store it without water, the slices might dry out overnight. When you cook it tomorrow, use fresh water for boiling. Hope you enjoy your rutabaga. Thanks so much for checking out my site.
Best wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving.
Mairéad
Thank you!
Hello. My mom always made rutabaga for Thanksgiving, so now I do. I’m. 1/4 Irish, so maybe that explains why I love it:-). I’m boiling my rutabaga now, but am concerned because it is much lighter in color than usual. It’s more pale yellow than orange. I’m hoping it’s not bitter. Any suggestions on what to do if it is? I always put some Cool Whip in it. Maybe a little more of that than usual?
Thanks, Suzanne
Suzanne – I think your Irish genes are shining through your rutabaga loving taste buds. I hope it did not turn out bitter. A little extra Cool Whip might do the trick. My other suggestion is to try a little honey, but that may not mix well with Cool Whip. I’ll keep my fingers crossed they turn out ok.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving,
Mairéad
Thanks Mairead! It actually turned out well even though it’s lighter in color.
Happy Thanksgiviing! I enjoyed reading your blog about rutabaga . I also enjoyed reading about your trip to Sligo. My husband & I were in Ireland for 10 days in July 2012. We loved it and hope to go back, this time to Northern Ireland. Back to food- everywhere we ate in Ireland, the food was piping hot ( and delicious). How do they do that in Ireland? It’s not like that in the states.
Suzanne – It’s lovely to hear you plan to return to Ireland after a successful trip last year. Food in Ireland is exceptionally good, and always served really hot. My mother is very fussy about serving hot food. She even heats our dinner plates before plating. I’m not sure how Irish restaurants manage to keep the food piping hot, but there is a noticeable difference compared to America. If I ever find out the secret I’ll let you know.
Best wishes and I hope you all enjoyed your rutabaga.
Mairéad
when I was a kid my mom made rutabagas for thanksgiving. she sauteed onions and mixed them with fried bacon this with the grease and butter went into the mash.:-p I’ll be making them tomorrow 11/28/13 happy thanksgiving.!!!
Ron – I must try adding some fried bacon to my rutabagas. I’d say it really enhances the flavor. Onions sound wonderful too. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I researched the web and it says a rutabaga is a cross between a turnip and cabbage. That would mean a turnip was different. Would you cook them the same way?
Peggi – I’ve tried cooking American turnips this way, but they didn’t turn out as tasty as a rutabaga, which has a denser flesh. The smaller turnips were a little watery when cooked this way.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I grew up thinking they were only a southern food, but was pleased to see they are international. I’m cooking rutubagas and turnips together tonight in a pot with a few slices of bacon on the top of the water for flavor. We eat them without mashing them up. They fill the house with a special aroma!
Richard – I’ve always mashed my rutabagas, but I think I’ll try them unmashed in true southern style. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Mairéad
being irish watching an american cooking programme and being confused with what a rudabegga was 😀 the good owld turnip . . The perfect thing with bacon and cabbage ! ! A regular veg in my house. . . . .
Nice method of mash big turnip
Dawn – I think we Irish really do appreciate “the good owld turnip”. Growing up we had it once or twice a week for our dinner. I love to mash my turnip and potatoes together with butter.
Take care,
Mairéad
Always had turnip at my grandmothers’ house. Happened to pick one up at the grocery the other day (don’t ask why) and just the aroma on my hands after cutting it up evoked a sense memory !
You ever roast turnip or rutabaga?
Matt – Sometimes I roast turnip, parsnips and carrots together – they turn out delicious. It’s amazing how a simple task such as cutting a turnip, can evoke loving memories of the past. Thanks for checking out my website.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
My mother would mash carrots into the mix if she needed to to create some sweetness. At times she would also use a wee bit of brown sugar.
What a great tip. Thanks so much and have a lovely St. Patrick’s Day.
Mairead
I REQUESTED A RUTABAGA AND SHOULD HAVE SAID “SMALL”. iT TURNED OUT TO BE VERY LARGE AND IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO CUT.
I HAD HEARD THAT IT WAS EASIER TO CUT AND PEEL IF PUT IN THE MICROWAVE FOR A LENGTH OF TIME, BUT I CAN’T REMEMBER HOW LONG. DO YOU KNOW. THEY SAID IT WAS
VERY EASY TO HANDLE THEN. THANKS JACKIE
I think 4 to 7 minutes should work on high. Time depends on the size of your rutabaga. Place it on a microwave safe plate covered with waxed paper or Saran Wrap. In America rutabagas are covered in a wax coating so if microwaving with the peel on, this wax will melt. The covered plate helps with clean up. Hope this helps.
Mairead
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter we have turnips (rutabaga…I don’t know what those purple and white things are called…). I cut them differently; half the turnip, peel with a knife then slice about 1/4″ thick then chop to, say, 1″ pieces- because that’s how my Mother cut them. However before chopping many of the slices would disappear in the hands of children, with a dunk in water and salted that slice of turnip was so tasty. However it is an acquired taste says my wife–but not my children and I. My wife likes them mashed and I like them both mashed and raw with salt. Try it!
Hi Patrick – I love to hear from others who love rutabaga as much as I do. Before I wrote this blog recipe, I believed I was a very rare rutabaga loving American. Nearly every time I purchase a rutabaga the cashier inevitably asks me what it is. I was really beginning to get worried my crew are the only rutabaga eating family in America. But ever since I wrote this post, so many readers have added comments or e-mailed me singing the praises of this seldom praised vegetable. But I do agree with your wife – it is an acquired taste, one for me that was nourished and cultivated at a young age by my mother.
Thanks so much for stopping by,
Mairéad
The best way to cut a rutabaga is to ask the butcher at your grocery story to cut and quarter (or 1/8) it. Then cook until outside is soft. Cool a bit and peel. Finish cooking in a clean pot.
Maureen – Thanks for a great tip. I never thought of asking the butcher to help with the difficult job of cutting a rutabaga – what a great idea.
All the best,
Mairéad
Rutabagas (aka turnips) are always part of our Thanksgiving dinner! It wouldn’t be the holidays without them. Our Grandmother came over from Ireland, and knowing her, she probably brought some with her! One question: Here in the western U.S., these turnips are not common and often have a lot of green around the outer skin. Can I just peel that off or are they simply too unripe? Thanks. Long live rutabagas!