Rutabaga

Appearance: A root vegetable that looks like a turnip but is slightly larger and has a coarser texture, which makes it hard to cut. It is sometimes called a "Swede" or a "Swedish turnip" but is actually from the cabbage family. The rutabaga's skin is pale yellow with tints of purple covering a pale yellowish-orange flesh that provides a slightly sweet flavor and a brighter orange color when cooked. The flesh is firm textured and very hard in consistency, making it difficult to cut.

Origin: Originated in Scandinavia, most likely Finland
"Rutabaga" is also the name of a specific protein-coding gene in fruit flies that controls several functions, including memory, behavior, and cell communication.

History: Rutabagas were practically unknown in the U.S. until the 19th century. The Swedish translation of rutabaga is "rotabagge" which means round root.

A root vegetable that looks like a turnip but is slightly larger and has a coarser texture, which makes it hard to cut. In Germany during World War I, many were forced to consist on a diet of rutabags. In continental Europe, it acquired a bad reputation during World War I, when it became a food of last resort.

In the German Steckrübenwinter (rutabaga winter) of 1916-17, large parts of the population were kept alive on a diet consisting of swedes and little else, after grain and potato crop failures had combined with wartime effects. After the war, most people were so tired of swedes that they came to be considered "famine food," and they have retained this reputation to the present day.

Nutrition Fact: Rutabagas are a good source of vitamin C, folate, fiber, Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese.