Mashed Turnips Recipe – The Scottish Way (Neeps / Swedes) | Scottish Mum (2024)

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Mashed Turnips Recipe – The Scottish Way (Neeps / Swedes) | Scottish Mum? ›

Mashed Turnips (Neeps / Swedes)

Swede is a Swedish turnip, hence the name “swede”. They are bigger, tougher skinned, yellow fleshed and much hardier than a turnip. Turnips are the smaller ones, with smoother skin and white flesh. They are faster growing.

This comes from the Swedish dialectal word rotabagge, from rot 'root' + bagge 'lump, bunch'. In the U.S., the plant is also known as Swedish turnip or yellow turnip. The term swede (from "Swedish turnip") is used in many Commonwealth Nations, including much of the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Well, “neeps” is just the Scots word for swede – that hard winter vegetable that people also use in soups and stews. You might also hear Scottish people saying “nips”, which is much more obviously short for “turnips”. It's a hard job to peel and chop the neeps, and then we boil and mash, then add a bit of seasoning.

Swedes were originally called (in English) Swedish turnips, hence the confusion [Linda Loeser, Richmond, New Zealand]. In my childhood, and in the memories of many northerners, both were referred to as turnips. I fact the smaller turnips were a rarity, the vegetables often now called swedes were called turnips.

A member of the cabbage family, the swede is often confused with the turnip, though they look quite different. It's also known as yellow turnip, Swedish turnip and Russian turnip and, in America, rutabaga.

In Ireland, the chunky, purple and orange root vegetables are commonly known as turnips, and in Scotland they are neeps.

In cooking, while a swede may retain a slightly bitter taste, turnips are more sweet and nutty. They are also softer, more like a potato - but both are relatively hard to peel and chop.

Neeps are what Scots, Irish and a lot of Northern English people call turnips - ie the big orange veg. Others call those a swede. The wee white ones - whether you call those a turnip or not - are not part of a 'neeps and tatties' recipe.

Swede have a sweet, earthy flavour and are best cooked until tender/soft but if overcooked they can fall apart. Swede has a wide range of health benefits due to its excellent source of vitamins and nutrients.

Why is haggis illegal in the US? ›

Legality. In 1971, it became illegal to import haggis into the US from the UK due to a ban on food containing sheep lung, which constitutes 10–15% of the traditional recipe. The ban encompasses all lungs, as fluids such as stomach acid and phlegm may enter the lung during slaughter.

The results of a new survey released forDiabetes Weekhas found that strawberries are Scotland's favourite fruit with 20 per cent of the public vote. The accolade of favourite vegetable goes to broccoli (18 per cent).

In Ireland what we call turnip is, in fact, swede. Turnips are those small white and violet orbs with the green tops like a big white radish.

However, in some dialects of British English the two vegetables have overlapping or reversed names: in the north of England and Scotland, the larger, yellow variety may be called "yellow turnip" or "neep", while the smaller white variety are called "swede" or "white turnip".

Nutrition Notes

Both turnips and rutabagas are high in fibre and low in calories. Per cup, turnips have only 36 calories and 2 grams of fibre, while rutabagas have 50 calories and 4 grams of fibre. Both are good sources of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 and folate and excellent sources of dietary fibre and vitamin C.

Neeps are mashed swede or turnips, and tatties are mashed potatoes. Confusingly, people in Scotland refer to what the English calls turnips as swedes, and what the English call swedes as turnips.

As this vegetable originated from Sweden in the 17th century they are called Swedes. They are more purple ish and sweeter than other turnips. I was quite confused about this question as I thought it referred to Swedes, the people from Sweden.

Swede is actually a cross between a turnip and cabbage. They are known as rutabaga in the United States but are called swede throughout the rest of the world. They are one of the hardiest root vegetables to harvest, they grow seasonally - autumn through to winter.

It has a range of names, including 'Swedish turnip' and 'neep' in Scotland, and is called 'turnip' in parts of England. The Swedish word 'rotobagge' (meaning thick root) has been converted to 'rutabaga' in North America, where it may also be called the 'Swedish turnip' or 'yellow turnip'.

While swede can replace turnips in many recipes, the main difference is their cooking time. Swede needs to be cooked much longer.