[Sca-cooks] turnips

[kingstaste at mindspring.com]

Adamantius ranted:

Do we still need, with the preponderance of North American
English-speakers on this list, to be discussing the difference
between yellow turnips, which are rutabagas and not turnips per se,
and actual turnips? I become alarmed when I hear people discussing
the bitterness of turnips, and have visions of people hopping their
beer with cabbage... I can only hope the cabbage is blanched, first,
cut down on the bitterness...


I, for one, do know the difference between a rutabega and a turnip, and
still think turnips are bitter.  So, YMMV and all that - but the taste is
often way too sharp for me.  I've had armored turnips and my impression was
that enough cheese hides the taste of anything.  Now that I haven't eaten
dairy in many years, that option is not viable for me anymore.  I'd like to
find something that I like turnips in.  The best I've been able to accept is
really small pieces distributed very sparingly in lamb stew.  They place
slightly above beets for me on the "I'd really rather not" scale.  :p
I've wondered (not seriously enough to try it) whether the combination of
the sweet spices used in armoring (cinnamon and sugar, no?) or something
like a powder douce and some sort of sauce would make them appealing.
I do like parsnips and carrots, (and potatoes) but now that I think about
it, I've never really warmed to many root vegetables - radishes,
horseradish, (I like daikon), beets, turnips, swedes, and other fruits of
the earth have never really appealed to me.  Wonder if it's my genetics or
blood type or astrological sign :)
Christianna