Why do Irish people call swede turnip?

Kotek Besar

I've often wondered..

robman60

Because the swede didn't turnip in Ireland until the 18th century.

old_aussie

"Rutabaga" is the common American and Canadian term for the plant. It comes from the Swedish word Rotabagge, meaning simply "root bag". "Swede" is the preferred term used in most of the English-speaking world, including England, Wales, Australia, India, New Zealand and many other parts of the world that use British English as a standard. In the U.S., the plant is also known as "Swedish turnip" or "yellow turnip", while in Ireland, it is referred to as "turnip". The name turnip is also used in parts of Northern and Midland England, Cornwall, Ontario and Atlantic Canada

baltimore sun

coz of this
Swede, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_people

Thing that you call Swede, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga

to avoid confusion y'know :rolleyes:

mikom

When is a turnip not a turnip? When it’s a swede, of course.
What we Irish commonly refer to as a turnip is actually a Swedish turnip or swede for short. Go and ask for a turnip in England, Wales, Australia or New Zealand and you will be handed a vegetable somewhere in size between a golf ball and a tennis ball. These are the true “turnips” with white flesh rather than the yellow of our Swedish turnip.
Botanical name:
Brassica napobrassica
Area of origin:
Scandinavia.

http://www.allotments.ie/?p=1629

Kotek Besar

old_aussie wrote: »

"Rutabaga" is the common American and Canadian term for the plant. It comes from the Swedish word Rotabagge, meaning simply "root bag". "Swede" is the preferred term used in most of the English-speaking world, including England, Wales, Australia, India, New Zealand and many other parts of the world that use British English as a standard. In the U.S., the plant is also known as "Swedish turnip" or "yellow turnip", while in Ireland, it is referred to as "turnip". The name turnip is also used in parts of Northern and Midland England, Cornwall, Ontario and Atlantic Canada

Thanks old Aussie. I've read that on Wikipedia before too, but it still doesn't explain why we call it a turnip here instead of a swede. After all, a turnip is a different veg.

annascott

I have always wondered about this myself and always ask for clarification when I hear it. There are turnips but they are small white hard things that hardly anyone actually eats and not to be mistaken for swede...

pickarooney

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Thanks old Aussie. I've read that on Wikipedia before too, but it still doesn't explain why we call it a turnip here instead of a swede. After all, a turnip is a different veg.

It's not really. A swede is a type of turnip so referring to it as a turnip is not wrong, just not really specific enough.

I've never been able to figure out what this is called in any variety of English:


(it's not a radish, BTW)

getz

pickarooney wrote: »

It's not really. A swede is a type of turnip so referring to it as a turnip is not wrong, just not really specific enough.

I've never been able to figure out what this is called in any variety of English:


(it's not a radish, BTW)

parsnip ?anyway my sweedish friend doesent like being called a turnip

pickarooney

No, a parsnip is yellow and pointier and much tastier.

Kotek Besar

pickarooney wrote: »

I've never been able to figure out what this is called in any variety of English:


(it's not a radish, BTW)

In Malay, we call that lobak putih. Apparently, in English it's called a daikon. According to Wikipedia, it is a type of radish.

pickarooney

Nope, it's not the same thing at all. They do look quite similar but have hugely different tastes and are not in the same family of plant. It tastes quite like the small, white turnip, in fact. I'll try find its latin name.