Turnip - the gold of Russia

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Everyone, young and old, knows the tale of how grandfather planted a turnip. Many already know that this tale, like many others, folk, who came to us from the depths of time, has a hidden sacred meaning.

But now we will focus on the obvious meaning. Have you ever wondered why grandfather planted a turnip, and not, as is now customary, potatoes? Everything is simple - in those distant times they did not even hear about potatoes in Russia and never saw them. But turnip was a traditional and favorite vegetable on every table, and a wide variety of dishes were prepared from it both on weekdays and on holidays, and by common people and princes.

What happened? Why has turnip now become an exotic delicacy for us, the taste of which is no longer familiar to modern youth? How and why did a foreign product, the potato, which is considered "the food of slaves", ousted such a unique vegetable as turnip from our fields, tables and minds?

How potatoes were planted in Russia

With the massive consumption of high-calorie, but nutritionally low-value potatoes, obesity, diabetes mellitus, indigestion, weakness, depression, oncology appeared … But it did not become widespread at once. In Russia, potatoes were brought in and cultivated by force. Gradually, it was designated in people's minds as the main vegetable, and today it is the most important vegetable product on the table, it is considered the second bread, and healthy vegetables have been transferred to the category of secondary ones.

The appearance of potatoes in Russia is associated with the Peter's era. At the end of the 17th century, Peter I, while in the Netherlands on ship business, became interested in this plant, and "for brood" sent a bag of tubers from Rotterdam to Count Sheremetyev. To accelerate the spread of potatoes, the Senate only in 1755-66 considered the introduction of potatoes 23 TIMES.

Measures for the widespread cultivation of potatoes were first taken under Catherine II, at the initiative of the Medical College. The case was initially about finding funds for help "without great dependency" (one turnip seed grows one turnip, and one potato tuber grows up to 10 or more potatoes)to the starving peasants of Finland. On this occasion, the medical board reported to the Senate in 1765 that the best way to prevent this scourge "consists in those earth apples, which in England are called potetes, and in other places, earth pears, tartuffles and potatoes."

At the same time, at the behest of the empress, the Senate sent seeds to all places of the empire and instructions on the development of potatoes and care for this were entrusted to the governors. Under Paul I, it was also prescribed to grow potatoes not only in vegetable gardens, but also on field land. In 1811, three colonists were sent to the Arkhangelsk province with the order to plant a certain number of tithes of potatoes. All of these measures were sketchy; the mass of the population greeted potatoes with distrust, and their culture was not grafted.

Only in the reign of Nicholas I in view of the former in 1839 and 1840. the poor harvest of grain in some provinces, the government took the most energetic measures to spread the crops of potatoes.

The implementation of these measures met in many places with stubborn resistance of the population, there were so-called "potato riots". The largest of them broke out in the Irbit and neighboring districts of the Perm province in 1842.

In terms of the number of peasants who participated in it and the vastness of the region it covered, this is the largest of the Russian popular unrest of the 19th century, which entailed reprisals, which were usually at that time cruel.

Many unrest in Russia on the potato theme were associated with the fact that at first ordinary people did not eat tubers, but "tops" of potatoes, which are very toxic and dangerous to the body. It took time to "educate the unreasonable" and teach how to properly grow and use the overseas product. However, not everyone knows that tubers can be very toxic - especially if the potatoes are still green, or eaten together with the "eyes". Therefore, it is not for nothing that you always want to cut off the thicker peel, and it is not for nothing that we carefully cut out all the eyes. Green potatoes are strictly unsuitable for food, and dangerous for the body.

Potatoes practically do not give a person energy at all, rather it takes it away. The body after consumption becomes lethargic and weak-willed, the speed of thought processes is significantly reduced.

In short, there is little benefit from potatoes, more harm. A turnip is a completely different matter.

Grandfather planted a turnip …

Turnip is a unique product. In the pre-Columbian era, it was the staple food not only in Russia, but throughout Western Europe. It was eaten 12 months a year.

Turnip was a witness and participant in most events in the history of mankind. Dishes from it were prepared in Ancient Egypt, Phenicia, Sumeria, Babylonia, Persia, Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, in Europe, Asia and Russia.

In Russia, until it was replaced by potatoes, turnip was an integral part of the diet of both the poor and the rich. They planted it everywhere in the fields, which were called repish. And the first day of harvesting was called reporez. Remarkably, two harvests can be obtained during the sowing season. The first time the turnips are sown at the end of April, and harvested at the end of June and the beginning of July. This is a young turnip with an amazing taste, but it does not last long. The second time the turnip is sown in mid-July and harvested in September, it is a large turnip that can withstand long storage.

There are a great many proverbs and sayings, songs and fairy tales about turnips: "A good girl is like a washed turnip", "A woman was not asleep on a reporez day", "In the ground crumbs, and cakes from the ground" (turnips were often called "green cakes"), "Easier than a steamed turnip" …

In lean years, when rye froze out, this vegetable replaced bread. It was the cheapest vegetable in Russia. Hence the saying: "Cheaper than a steamed turnip."

Despite the fact that turnip is traditionally considered a Russian vegetable, in many countries, for example, in France, America, India, Japan, in contrast to Russia, turnip is still loved by chefs and often ends up on the dinner table.

The healing power of turnip

For a long time, turnips have been valued not only as a food product, but also as a remedy. The healing power of turnip, unlike expensive medicines, was available to everyone.

Raw turnips contain up to 9% sugars, a very high content vitamin C- twice as much as in any other root vegetable. Vitamins B1, B2, B5, PP, provitamin A(especially in yellow turnip), easily digestible polysaccharides, sterol (an element necessary in the treatment of atherosclerosis. Turnip contains a rare element glucoraphanin- a plant analogue of sulphorophane with anti-cancer properties. This element is found only in turnips and various types of cabbage: broccoli, kohlrabi and cauliflower. Turnips contain rare trace elements and metals: copper, iron, manganese, zinc, iodineand many others. Phosphorus turnips contain more than radishes and radishes, and sulfur, necessary for the purification of blood and dissolution of kidney and bladder stones, cannot be found in any other familiar Russian vegetable. Abundant magnesium helps the body to accumulate and assimilate calcium … The turnip even contains natural antibiotic, which retards the development of some fungi, including those dangerous to the human body (not acting, however, on E. coli and staphylococci).

• Turnip helps to normalize metabolism and stimulates the activity of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Turnip has antiseptic and diuretic properties.
• Turnip dishes are recommended for diabetes and obesity.
• Turnip is a low-calorie product, it saturates the body, but does not allow excess weight to be turned on.
• Juice from fresh turnip roots is used as an expectorant - they drink it for coughs, sore throats (from a simple cold to the restoration of a completely "shrunken" voice) and a diuretic.
• Turnip is well preserved, therefore it is used for the prevention of hypo- and avitaminosis.
• This root vegetable has wound healing, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and analgesic effects.
• It relieves asthma symptoms, improves sleep and calms the heartbeat.
• Boiled turnips are ground into gruel and applied to sore spots with gout.
• Turnip has a very beneficial effect on the joints. It provides material for the inter-articular fluid. Dancing squatting and eating turnips allows the knee joints to stay young for a long time.
• In case of toothache, they rinsed the mouth with a decoction of turnips.

Turnip is contraindicated in exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases, hepatitis, cholecystitis, and some diseases of the nervous system.

Turnip stew

The popularity of turnips was explained by the unpretentiousness and suitability for long-term storage of this root crop, which was important for our harsh climate, as well as the possibility of preparing a great variety of dishes from it. Unlike potatoes, turnips were suitable for cooking the first, and second, and third. In addition to the turnip - a stew from this vegetable, and the famous steamed turnip, the root vegetable was fried, stewed, dried, used to prepare filling for pies and even a special type of kvass.

However, today modern housewives do not always understand what to do with this vegetable in the kitchen …

Here's a hint.

Cooking turnips is easy. It's just that raw turnips are good to add to fresh salads, and steamed turnips (steamed) are also easy to prepare. Turnip is ideal for making salads. It can be stuffed, baked and added to soups.

Turnip is combined with both sweet and salty additives, so you can stuff turnips with a variety of fillings, and the result is very different dishes. For stuffing turnips must first be boiled until half cooked, then cut off the "lid", make room for the filling inside and, putting the filling, then close the turnips again with the "lid" and put to ripen in the oven. This is how a dish cooked in a natural pot is obtained, soft and aromatic.

For a fresh salad, you can grate turnips on a fine grater and add salt, pepper and a little vegetable oil to it. The real Russian recipe is millet porridge with turnips. You can stuff the turnips with porridge, or you can fry the thinly sliced turnip slices in a pan, then add the pre-cooked porridge to them and stew them together a little more. You can add a handful of raisins to add a sweet scent to the dish. Raw turnips are slightly bitter, but can be easily removed by rinsing them with boiling water before cooking.

Steamed turnip

To cook steamed turnips (or steamed turnips), you need to cut the root vegetable into thin slices, pour everything with water or milk, add butter and a pinch of salt and put in the oven for 40 minutes at moderate or low heat.

Another way is "frying pan". Turnip, along with other vegetables, is cut into cubes or slices, as convenient, and stewed under the lid. Milk and butter can be added. The principle of cooking is similar to the preparation of a vegetable stew.

The third way: put whole turnips in a double boiler and "steam" for about 20 minutes, then peel, thinly cut, season and serve.

Turnip salad with Jerusalem artichoke

Grate Jerusalem artichoke and turnips, then add finely chopped onions and dill. Season with vegetable oil and pour over with lemon juice. This salad has only 90 calories.

Turnip and raw vegetable salad

Carrots, turnips and celery (root) are cut into thin strips, mixed with pickled cabbage salad, salted, seasoned with sour cream, vinegar and sugar are added. The salad is stacked in a salad bowl, decorated with slices of cucumbers, tomatoes, green lettuce and sprinkled with parsley (dill).

You will need: 25 carrots, 25 turnips, 10 celery, 10 green lettuce, 35 tomatoes, 35 cucumbers, 20 pickled cabbage, 50 sour cream, parsley (dill) 3, salt and pepper.

Turnip and greens salad

The boiled turnip is cut into slices, the cauliflower is cut into small pieces, the asparagus is cut into pieces of 2, 5-3 cm, the bean pods are cut into rhombus, the tomatoes and fresh cucumbers are cut into slices. Chopped vegetables are mixed, seasoned with sour cream, salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, placed in a slide in a salad bowl. The salad is decorated with slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, green salad.

You will need: cauliflower 30, green salad 25, beans (pods) 25 or green peas 25, turnips 30, fresh cucumbers 25, tomatoes 30, asparagus 25, sour cream 40, sugar 3, 3% vinegar 5, salt and pepper.

The set and the number of products in the recipes are given per serving in net grams or in kilograms, or in pieces.

Simple turnip salad with onions prepares in just a couple of minutes. To prepare it, you will need: turnip (300 g), lettuce (1 head of cabbage), green onions (1 bunch), vegetable oil (2 tablespoons), white wine vinegar (1 tablespoon), fresh dill (1 bunch), salt to taste. Peel the turnips and boil in lightly salted water until soft. Cut the finished turnip into cubes and mix with chopped lettuce leaves and finely chopped green onions. For dressing, mix finely chopped dill with vegetable oil, vinegar and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad, stir and serve immediately.

Traditional turnip salad with sour cream also very easy to prepare. Take 300 g of turnips, one tablespoon of sour cream, 1 bunch of fresh herbs of your choice, and one egg. Peel the raw turnips, cut into strips or cubes and season with sour cream. Hard boil the egg and cut into wedges, put on top of the turnips. Sprinkle the prepared salad with chopped herbs and a little salt or pepper to taste.

The turnip and currant salad has a very original taste. To prepare this unusual dish, you will need: turnips (300 g), fresh or frozen currants (200 g), fresh dill (1 bunch), sugar to taste. Peel the raw turnips and cut them into thin strips. Mash the currant berries with a fork and mix with the turnips. Then add sugar and finely chopped dill, mix and serve.

Light Diet Turnip Salad with Carrots you can cook every day - it is very simple, but at the same time it has an exquisite taste. To prepare it, you will need: turnips (4 pcs), carrots (2 pcs), green onions (1 bunch), apple (1 pc), sour cream (100 ml), salt and pepper to taste. Peel the turnips and carrots and grate them on a coarse grater. Finely chop the onion, mix with the turnips, carrots and small diced apple. Season the salad with sour cream, season with salt and pepper to taste and mix thoroughly.

Turnip and honey salad not only tasty, but also extremely healthy. To prepare it, you will need: turnips (2 pcs), carrots (2 pcs), cabbage (200 g), honey (3 tablespoons), cranberries (100 g). Peel fresh turnips and cut into thin strips or grate on a coarse grater. Do the same with carrots. Chop the cabbage thinly and mix with the cranberries, carrots and turnips. Season the salad with honey, stir well and serve immediately.

Another turnip salad. Peeled and washed turnips are boiled in salted water. After that, it is cut into thin slices, chopped green onions and parsley, dill are added, everything is mixed and poured with mustard dressing.

Preparation of the dressing: the finished mustard is ground with salt, sugar, diluted with 3% vinegar, vegetable oil, pepper are added and shaken well.

You will need: turnip 100, green onion 5, dill, parsley 3, dressing 30. For 1 liter of dressing: vinegar 3% 700, butter 300, granulated sugar 300, mustard 1-2 tablespoons, salt, pepper to taste.

Baked turnip

Put the peeled turnip on a baking sheet, add a little water and bake until soft. After that, the chilled turnip is cut into thin slices, finely chopped onions, salt, pepper are added, poured with sour cream and sprinkled with chopped dill (parsley).

Ingredients: turnip 150, onion 20, sour cream 45, salt and pepper to taste, greens 5.

Turnip boy - a traditional dish of Russian cuisine. It is especially famous in the Urals. These are root vegetables (rutabagas, carrots, turnips, radishes) prepared by steaming. It consists of the following stages. The products are peeled and doused with cold water. Root vegetables are placed tightly in the pot.

Instead of a kettle, it is recommended to use a pot. This is a wide-necked pot. The ingredients are covered with straw (most often wheat, you can also oatmeal or rye). Place the dishes (pot or pot) upside down in the oven.

Root vegetables are being prepared for several hours. Thus, vegetables are evaporated in their own juice. The boy is salted before serving.

Turnip boy with cranberries

Required: 1 glass of cranberries (you can take lingonberries), turnips, 3-4 tbsp. honey.

We clean the turnips, cut into 3-4 pieces, put them tightly in cast iron or a pot. The hole from above is tightly plugged with hay or shavings. Turn the pot upside down on a baking sheet covered with paper, send it to the oven, preheated to 200 degrees. Simmer for 40-50 minutes. Hot stews are served as an independent dish with oil and salt or as a side dish.

As a dessert, the boys are cooled and grated on a fine grater or chopped in a blender. Add berries and cover with honey.

Raisin boy

Rinse the root vegetables, put in a clay pot, add half a glass of water, cover and put in the oven. Steam the turnips until tender. Add 100-150 g of raisins and steam for another 5 minutes. You can pour it over with honey.

Turnip stuffed with cheese and herbs

To prepare this turnip dish, you will need: 100 g of sour cream, 30 g of celery or parsley, 1 turnip, 30 g of fresh dill and 200 g of cheese.

Finely chop the greens, grate the cheese. Combine cheese, herbs and some sour cream. Instead of cheese, you can use feta cheese for making the filling. Rinse the turnips and peel them. Using a knife and spoon, remove some of the pulp and fill the turnips with the filling. Place the turnips on a greased baking sheet and top with the remaining sour cream. Send the stuffed turnips to the oven and bake for 35 minutes at 190 degrees. Serve the stuffed turnips right after cooking.

Turnip stewed with apples and raisins

To prepare this turnip dish, you will need: 4 small turnips, salt, 50 g raisins, 4 medium apples, 1, 5 tbsp. tablespoons of butter.

Peel the turnips and rinse in running water. Then chop finely, transfer to a frying pan, add butter and simmer a little over the fire. Add a few tablespoons of water to the turnips if needed. Rinse the apples, remove the cores and skins and cut them into slices. Rinse the raisins well and pour over with boiling water. Add raisins, sugar and apples to the turnips. Simmer until tender.

Turnip with prunes

To prepare this dish from turnips, you will need: 200 g of prunes, 1 kg of turnips, 30 g of sugar, 300 g of water, 300 g of milk, 30 g of flour, 45 g of butter.

Peel the turnips, cut into small pieces and pour boiling water over for 5 minutes. Then boil it until tender and fold it onto a sieve. Rinse the prunes well and remove the pits. Fry the flour in butter, then add milk to it. Mix everything well and cook the sauce until thick. Pour the sauce over the soft turnips, add sugar and prunes. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve with cranberry or lingonberry jam.

Cabbage rolls with turnips, onions and carrots

Finely chop turnips, carrots and onions and sauté in vegetable oil, salt to taste. Then mix everything and place the resulting minced vegetable on the prepared cabbage leaves. Form cabbage rolls, place them in a saucepan, pour boiling water over and simmer until tender.