Rutabaga
Brassica napus var. napobrassica · Root vegetable
Top 10 pairings
The rutabaga, known in Britain as the swede, is the large, dense storage root of Brassica napus var. napobrassica, a hardy cool-season brassica that arose as a cross between the turnip and the cabbage. Beneath its purple-shouldered tan skin lies firm yellow-orange flesh that cooks down sweet, earthy and mildly cabbagey — a winter staple mashed as Scottish neeps, roasted, simmered into stews and folded into the Cornish pasty.
Picking a good onedrag
Dense, hard, just liftedLight, spongy, sprouting
Shop firmEveryday bestThe all-rounder: neeps, roast, pasty, stew.
Neck and crownCut face browning, still dry
Weight in the handHeavy still, gives a touch at the neck
SkinMatte, a few shallow scuffs
Smell at the neckAlmost nothing, dry earth
What you get from one
85%
Edible part
386 g · peel and neck off
454 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 12× longer than the counter.
98-100%
Humidity
Ventilated, never sealed
Airflow