is there a difference between turnip and swede?

[bubbles4920]

is there a difference between turnip and swede?

[Miss-taken]

yes - they're completely different vegetables. They not only taste different, they also look different. Turnips look like big parsnips whereas swedes are round (ish)

[BBWCHATT]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga

[curiosity]

my other half believes that a lot of people who think they have had turnip have actually had swede, and have probably never had a proper turnip. (he's just got an allotment! in case you thought it was a weird belief to have)

[normy]

the confusion comes from the scottish tatties neeps and haggis....the scots tend to call swede "neeps" and most non-scots assume this is turnips (sounds like turnips could be abbreviated to neeps)
Turnips are a small round veg, with white flesh, whilst swede is bigger and yellow in colour

[normy]

Just read BBW's links, spot on BBW

[Narolines]

You have some strange turnips round your way, Miss-taken, if they look like big parsnips! They're round and whitish, usually with a purplish top, and the ones commonly sold in supermarkets tend to be quite small - though admittedly they can be grown to quite a large size. Parsnips, on the other hand, look a bit like large cream-coloured carrots. Maybe it's your parsnips that are strange.......?

[Zeddy]

Both are former managers of the England football team? ;)