Rutabaga

Rutabaga

"Rutabaga" (from dialectal Swedish rotabagge) is the American term, while "swede" is the term used in much of England. Its common name in Sweden is "Kålrot" (Cabbage root). It is also known as the "Swedish turnip" or "yellow turnip". To the Scots, the Irish, and some of the Northern English it is called "turnip", or colloquially, especially in Scotland, "neep"—the vegetable known elsewhere as a turnip being called a "swede" or a "white turnip" in Scotland. In the US, rutabagas may also be called "yellow turnips." In Atlantic Canada, white turnips are relatively unknown, with rutabagas being known simply as turnips.

The vegetable is native to Sweden, and was introduced into Scotland. From there, it spread to the rest of Britain and to North America. In continental Europe, it acquired a bad reputation when it became a food of last resort during World War I. In the German Steckrübenwinter (swede winter) of 1916–17, large parts of the population were kept alive on a diet consisting of little else but swedes. After the war, most people were so tired of eating swedes that they have remained unpopular to this day and are rarely planted.

These days, swedes are mostly eaten as part of stews or casseroles, or are served mashed with carrots, or are baked in a pasty.

Rutabaga Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits

Rutabaga is 89.43% water, contains 8.62% carbohydrates, 0.16% fat, and 1.08% protein. If you consume one medium rutabaga it will provide you with 33.273 grams of carbohydrates. That translates to 25.59 percent of the 130 grams of carbohydrates people should include in their daily diet. That same in an amount measuring 100 grams (3.5 Oz), rutabaga provides 157 kilojoules (37 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) (33.33% of the Daily Value). This means that if you add rutabaga in your diet it will help your body to absorb iron from food and defend itself more naturally since vitamin C is an antioxidant, reduce the risk of anemia as this vitamin absorbs iron, improve the efficiency of lymphocytes (or white blood cells) to heal wounds and will be effective against gout (a type of arthritis) attacks by reducing blood uric acid levelshigh blood pressurethe occurrence of cancer. It contains low amount of minerals.