Well after lurking now for over a month I decided I really needed some help figuring out the difference between Turnips and Rutabagas.

As a kid we would have turnip with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. I knew what it looked like and I new how it tasted.

I decided after starting Atkins I would make some Mashed Turnip with my meal. I went to Dominicks and picked up what I thought was a Turnip (There was no sign and it looked like what I remebered as a kid). I was in heaven! I felt like I was eating mashed potatoes again. I went to the store to buy another one and this time there was a sign that said Rutabaga.

I talked to my mother about it and she said she had prepared waxed turnip and described it's looks and it seemed identical to the rutabaga I was holding. Also when I prepared the Rutabaga it tasted just like the way I remeber tunip tasting on those holiday meals.

The actual turnips in the grocery store were the size of baseballs not softballs (What I was use to believing)

So what's the deal. Has my mother been preparing Rutabaga my entire life on holidays thinking it was Turnip or is there such a thing as waxed turnip that looks and tastes simular to rutabaga.

One last favor to ask. Could I get a definite answer on the what is the net carbs of both turnip and rutabaga both cubed and mashed per cup.

Thanks In Advance,

K. Kokoruz

PS - I love this forum, even though I've been just a lurker it's like having an Atkins partner

Hi K. Kokoruz! I had no idea either, so I did a search for you and came up with this info:

Question: What is the difference between a turnip and a rutabaga?

Answer: A rutabaga was called a Swede or yellow turnip, until 1967 when its name was changed to avoid confusion with the turnip. Rutabagas are larger, yellow fleshed with a purple top and are usually waxed for winter storage.

A turnip is a smaller cousin of the rutabaga. It has white flesh, with a purple trimming. It has a sharper taste and is most frequently available during the summer before the new crop of rutabaga.

A 3/4 cup serving of cubed rutabaga has only 47 calories, is an excellent source of Vitamin C, a good source of fibre and small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium. Check Food and Nutrition, Fruit and Vegetables section, for a recipe to cook rutabaga in the microwave.

(Info received at: http://www.homefamily.net/turnip_rutabaga.htm)

Here is the nutritional info I found at Fitday.com:

Turnip, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
Amount Per 1 cup, cubes
Calories 32.76
Calories from Fat 1.12
Total Fat 0.125g
Saturated Fat 0.0125g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0655g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0078g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 78mg
Potassium 210.6mg
Total Carbohydrate 7.64g
Dietary Fiber 3.12g
Protein 1.11g
Alcohol 0g

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Rutabaga, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
Amount Per 1 cup, cubes
Calories 66.3
Calories from Fat 3.37
Total Fat 0.374g
Saturated Fat 0.0493g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.162g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0459g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 34mg
Potassium 554.2mg
Total Carbohydrate 14.86g
Dietary Fiber 3.06g
Protein 2.19g
Alcohol 0g

Hope this helps!

I understand the confusion. When I was growing up, we only ever had rutabaga, but always called it turnip.

OK, this is a rutabaga ... They're fairly large, the tops and tails are cut off, then it's waxed for storage. They have a yellowish flesh, and a sweeter taste than smaller white-fleshed turnips .. hence they have a higher carb count.




Here's a turnip. They're smaller, only a few inches in diameter, and sold without a wax coating. Sometimes they will still have the greens attached, which are delicious too.



hth,

Doreen

I never thought to ask that question cause I always thought they were one and the same! (Come to think of it, my Chef friend rolled her eyes when I refered to a rutabaga as a turnip...)

Thanks for the clarification!