Attention all Canadians

[L DJ]

I have a recipe book printed in Canada that has several recipes calling for swede, chopped or sliced, what is swede??? Any clue would be greatfully received. thanks

[Mille®]

A swede is a yellow turnip. Some greengrocers also call it a rutabaga.
When cooked, it should be a yellowish orange in colour and taste stronger than a white or purple turnip. Hope this helps.

[L DJ]

Thank you so much, I've been looking on and off for several years for that answer. Makes sense recipes where for stews and vegetable dishes. Thanks for the education

[Mille®]

You are very welcome. Here is some more trivial information about swedes:

The turnip in Scotland is commonly 'brassica rapa', rutabaga or Swedish turnip. In England it is called a swede. It was introduced to Scotland in the late eighteenth century by Patrick Miller of Dalswinton. He was a wealthy man, a director of the Bank of Scotland and Chairman of the Carron Iron Company, and had a passionate interest in mechanical and agricultural improvement. King Gustav III of Sweden was a satisfied customer of Carron, and he presented Miller with a gold, diamond-encrusted snuff-box bearing a miniature of himself, containing rutabaga seeds. In this way the ‘swede’ came to Scotland. The box and its accompanying letter can still be seen in the British Museum in London.

[Bergy]

That's really interesting Miller. To add to that I believe the name "Swede" for a turnip here in North America stems from the Minnesota Swedes and the fact that they used so many!

[Lennie]

All my British friends call it a swede, most "Canadians" call it turnip (even though I think we all know it's really "rutabaga") and I have some Mediterranean friends who had never eaten it. The first time I made turnip-with-apple and took it to a potluck they were overwhelmed ..... they loved it and had no idea this humble vegetable had been sitting there in the supermarket, waiting for them to take it home!

[Tara]

Gee I learned something new I am Canadian and have never heard a turnip called sweed, maybe it was an old recipe from when settlers arrived and the old English word was used.

[Lennie]

I pulled out my trusty "A Century of Canadian Home Cooking" (as many of you know, one of my favourite cookbooks and a great reference book) and unfortunately it doesn't say too much about turnip; just this:

"Since the turn of the century, turnips and rutabagas have been mainstays of the Canadian diet. Good storage vegetables, they're available all year round. For years, the big round yellow root was called a turnip or a Swede, but it is now rightfully known as a rutabaga, while the smaller, whiter vegetable is called turnip."

[Evie*]

Im just glad I finally know that my swede is actually a rutabaga...lol