Turnip, and more especially the rutabaga or 'Swede' - a cross between turnip and cabbage - was a key staple food in much of northern Europe, all along the Baltic coast and the islands now comprising the UK.
Remember, potatoes didn't arrive from the Americas to Europe until the 1500s and took awhile to catch on and spread. Up until potatoes became a staple crop in some northern European areas, the turnip and rutabaga were essential crops for sustenance in addition to herring, hunted game, cabbage, and domesticated swine, sheep, and some limited dairy.
I've never run into anyone who claimed they actually liked turnips. Some Scots claim to like mashed rutabaga ('neeps'), but I can't say I like it at all.
So I wonder how much of the persistence of turnips and rutabaga has to do simply with tradition. They hang around the produce section and are occasionally used by those folks seeking to try them or to reproduce some old handed-down recipe.
I can't stand the buggers. Butt then there are those who think I'm nuts for eating Limburger cheese and some other rather foul-smelling cheeses that my wife also likes. Several of them smell like really rank moldy locker room socks, but they taste really good. The secret is to nott lett the smell mess with your mind and prejudice you before it hits your mouth.
I wonder if there is a similar trick to eating turnips and rutabagas. If any of y'all like them, pass down your secret tips and I'll give them another go.
