Rutabagas – Earth Element Tonic

Homely to the Eye but Good Medicine

Cashiers quickly learn the codes for broccoli and tomatoes, but not for the underutilized rutabaga which happens to be an Earth Element tonic as we’ll see below. They inevitably ask me, “Is this a turnip?”  They’re close as this yellow-purple, and often gnarly, root is a horticultural cross between a turnip and a cabbage. That was four hundred years ago. Here are some excellent reasons to give rutabagas a try today.

Turnips and rutabagas have purple tops, similar silhouettes, and when young and tender, an earthy sweetness.  But their bottoms are, respectively, white or yellow. While the leaves of a turnip crown it’s top, the leaves of a rutabaga grow down further on its more elongated neck. When overly large, old or improperly stored, the flavors of both turnips and rutabagas becomes assertive and strong. An old turnip has a pungent bite, but an old rutabaga belts out a pushy, even bitter flavor.

Energetic Properties

While all root vegetables are considered medicinal for the Water Element (the kidney system) according to traditional Chinese Five Element Medicine, rutabagas are also an especially good Earth Element tonic which is determined by their round shape, and yellow and mildly sweet (when young) flesh. This means that, overall, they support digestion. Rutabagas are a warming food. They store well.

In the Kitchen

Rutabagas make a pleasant-tasting puree and may be substituted for or used in conjunction with carrots in soups, stir-fries, braises and steamed dishes. Roasting enhances their flavor: peel, cut into chunks, and roast with a variety of other vegetables such as onions, squash, carrots, Brussels sprouts and/or daikon.

Rutabagas are rather like beets in that they are more dense and hearty than a carrot and so allow the appropriate cooking time. I encourage you to give them a try. And I wager that they will stump your cashier.