LL-L "Delectables" 2008.02.02 (05) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  02 February 2008 - Volume 05
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Delectables

Here are some more facts about swedes/rutabagas.

   - While this root vegetable is commonly associated with Sweden, it may
   have been introduced to Scandinavia from Finland, Karelia and possibly
   Estonia and Livonia, namely from the Finnic-speaking people. There are
   indications that they came with them from what is now Western Russia and
   most likely from Western Siberia, the earliest known homeland of the
   Finno-Ugric peoples. Please bear in mind that Finland was a Swedish colony
   for a long time, that Swedish people have lived there ever since, and that
   Finnic-speaking people have lived in Northern Sweden and Northern Norway for
   a long time as well.

   - Similar to its old-time North German counterpart, traditional
   Finnish Christmas comes with a special swede-based casserole known as
   *lanttulaatikko* (recipe:
   http://www.kaiku.com/kutriskitchen.html#Lanttulaatikko). (*Lanttu*,
   the Finnish name for swede, comes from Swedish *planta* 'plant',
   perhaps from an older Germanic cognate.)

   - A mash of swedes, potatoes and carots with butter and cream known as
   *rotmos* (root mash) and *kålrab(b)istappe* is eaten in Sweden and
   Norway around Christmas.

   - Because of its fairly high vitamin C content, Norwegians nickname
   the swede *Nordens appelsin* ("orange of the North").

   - As Heather already mentioned, mashed potatoes and swedes (*tatties
   an neeps*) are an accompaniment to haggis in Scotland, especially on
   Burns Nicht (or Burns Supper, January 25). On Orkney, the equivalent, known
   as *clapshot*, usually contains onions as well. In Yorkshire and
   Lincolnshire, a mash of swedes and carrots accompanies the traditional
   Sunday roast.

   - Before pumpkins were commonly available in Britain, Halloween was
   celebrated with hollowed-out swedes as "jack o' lanterns" in England and as
   *tumshie lanterns* in Scotland.

   - In parts of the Netherlands, the young leaves of the swede plant are
   eaten as well, known in Dutch as *snijmoes* or *snijkool*.

   - In Denmark's Southern Jutland, as on the German side of the border,
   people survived primarily on swedes during World War I, and the reputation
   of this vegetable has suffered ever since.

   - Excessive consumption of rutabaga, which contains cyanoglucoside,
   can be associated with hypothyroidism, a thyroid condition that mimics other
   conditions, including goiters.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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