Swede - north south divide?

[threaded]

It is actually nigh on impossible to buy them outside of Britain as they are considered cattle food in most other countries. The upshot of this is that it becomes a luxury imported good in specialist shops around burns night - 3 euros for a neep!

No, they have other names. 'Cold rabbi' comes to mind. Get them in Denmark, no problem, and they make this thing that is much like rice pudding except really sweet. 'Is lovely.

You might have a problem buying swedes in Germany, but that is a cultural thing, to do with a famine, which is IIRC the plant was invented to help survive...

[Rantor]

It just occurred to me that we may have another north/south thing here.
You lot took to the Swede thread without batting an eye...but where I come from no one ever calls them swedes - they call both turnips and swedes, turnips!

In fact, no one ever really seems to know what a swede is!

Anything round, yellowy/orange that you mash is called turnip.

Is this yet another lazy, uneducated northern thing?

Are you southerners talking about swedes on a daily basis? Are turnips a poor mans swede?

No, you are right - they are called the complete opposite in the north. In Scotland a Turnip/Neep/Tumshie is what the southern anglos call a swede.

It is actually nigh on impossible to buy them outside of Britain as they are considered cattle food in most other countries. The upshot of this is that it becomes a luxury imported good in specialist shops around burns night - 3 euros for a neep!

[Mustang]

You lot took to the Swede thread without batting an eye...

Damn!! Did I miss a thread on Swedes....?! Lived in Sweden for 4 years so always interested!!

[basshead]

swede
turnip

HTH

[oraclesmith]

Swedes are cheaper. Sainsbury's sell turnips at £1.39 a kilo whereas swedes are 99p a kilo whole or (oddly) only 79p a kilo in conveniently wrapped half portions.

"There is often confusion about the differences between the turnip and the Swede. The Swede 'Brassica napobrassiac ' is from Sweden (unsurprisingly) and was introduced to the UK as the Swedish turnip and the name later became shortened to Swede.

To add to the confusion the Swede 'is often known as a turnip or neep in Scotland and the turnip goes by the same name. Indeed the word turnip comes from the Scottish word 'neep'. The Americans however call the Swede a rutabaga, which comes from the Swedish word - rotabagge. However in some parts of the States the Rutabaga is called the yellow turnip and the turnip is known as the white turnip."

Got it?

[wobbegong]

Just thought I'd mention; you guys do realise that we're having a (second) discussion about swedes?

Yes? OK then. Just as long as this isn't part of some wierd dream that'll see Gordon Brown wearing a tu-tu, ride through my office on a capybara, in a moment.

[Euro-commuter]

I thought they were 'neeps' in Scotland?

As in 'haggis and neeps' (yum).

Aye. Colloquial abbreviation for "turnip".

[threaded]

And if memory serves me correctly, swedes are not even correctly turnips. IIRC they were originally some wierd victorian genetic engineering exercise carried out in Germany.

[wobbegong]

It just occurred to me that we may have another north/south thing here.
You lot took to the Swede thread without batting an eye...but where I come from no one ever calls them swedes - they call both turnips and swedes, turnips!

In fact, no one ever really seems to know what a swede is!

Anything round, yellowy/orange that you mash is called turnip.

Is this yet another lazy, uneducated northern thing?

Are you southerners talking about swedes on a daily basis? Are turnips a poor mans swede?

A "Swede" is a "Swedish turnip" or "Rutabaga" to the Americans. They are related to turnips (both are members of the Brassica family ).

General rule of thumb, Swedes are medium to large, coarse skinned and yellow (slighly woody) inside, while turnips are small to meduim, smooth (oftern bight purple) skinned, and white and smooth inside.

Oh, and they taste different (but both are excellent when mashed with carrotts, butter and black pepper).

[Burdock]

I thought they were 'neeps' in Scotland?

As in 'haggis and neeps' (yum).

[threaded]

Not all turnips are swedes.

A swede is a type of yellow turnip.

HTH

[Euro-commuter]

It just occurred to me that we may have another north/south thing here.
You lot took to the Swede thread without batting an eye...but where I come from no one ever calls them swedes - they call both turnips and swedes, turnips!

In fact, no one ever really seems to know what a swede is!

Anything round, yellowy/orange that you mash is called turnip.

Is this yet another lazy, uneducated northern thing?

Are you southerners talking about swedes on a daily basis? Are turnips a poor mans swede?

Turnip, in Scotland. A Swede is a Scandinavian person.

And you wouldn't mash 2 kinds together. Mashed turnip and potato, that's another matter. Called "clapshot", and best made by mashing separately and then combining. Though personally I prefer them separate on the plate and I can fine-tune the combination myself.

[SallyAnne]

It just occurred to me that we may have another north/south thing here.
You lot took to the Swede thread without batting an eye...but where I come from no one ever calls them swedes - they call both turnips and swedes, turnips!

In fact, no one ever really seems to know what a swede is!

Anything round, yellowy/orange that you mash is called turnip.

Is this yet another lazy, uneducated northern thing?

Are you southerners talking about swedes on a daily basis? Are turnips a poor mans swede?