Turnip: benefits, harm and ways of cooking

Any nation has a certain basis of nutrition, which allows you to always be full and at the same time have a variety on the table.In our country, a lot in this sense rests on potatoes. And we have already forgotten about the fact that once upon a time, turnip brought stability to food. She and today should not be discounted. This useful product can replenish the diet and make the menu richer.

At the mention of turnips in front of any person gets the image of a giant radish, which the whole family can not pull out of the ground. In fact, this plant belongs to the genus Cabbage. There is a huge number of different varieties of this vegetable - sweet, early, late, high-yielding, large-fruited. These roots are very different color. There are, for example, yellow or white, and even black turnips.

Among vegetable growers, turnip Petrovskaya is one of the most famous ones; it belongs to the category of those with high yields. Although there is a whole list of names, which are tasty fruit, allowing to prepare a great variety of tasty and healthy dishes.

For example, even children can appreciate the sweet turnip of “White Ball” or “Snow White” varieties. This vegetable has a delicate inside and the same taste without bitter admixture. Not only the fruits, but also the leaves are being prepared for cooking.

For people who have a Soviet past, the fodder turnip is better known - turnip, which even schoolchildren harvested during the autumn practice. Thanks to this contact with this kind of fruit, people who are not experts in vegetable production, at least have an idea of ​​how such a culture looks, and also remember the sweet taste of turnip ice cream, which was eaten right on seasonal blanks.

At the same time, the majority of modern Russians know very little about the glorious history of the former queen of any table. For example, the fact that the vegetable, which is now considered originally Russian, was originally grown in the Mediterranean, and then became widespread in European countries, since it could bear fruit even in unpretentious northern regions. And that he was later introduced to America.

The ability of the vegetable to take root anywhere easily opened his way to the table. Due to the fact that the cultivation of turnips has traditionally been cheap, and it has always been fruitful, this vegetable in Egypt was considered food for slaves, and in the Roman Empire - plebeians. In the same Rome, grown roots of enormous size, just those that "can not pull."

At all times, this vegetable was eaten in a baked, boiled and even raw form, and a salad was made from the leaves. In Sweden and Norway, the peasants gave tithes from the harvest of these fruits to the church.

In Russia, as in other countries, turnip lost its position with the advent of potatoes, the taste of which the population tasted while Catherine the Second was. In the public mind, the traditional Russian vegetable gradually turned into something archaic. And today they look at him with disdain, but in vain.

In terms of its composition, raw turnip is a storehouse of microelements and vitamins. It includes nicotinic and succinic acid, as well as ascorbic acid - it is more in this vegetable than in oranges or lemons.

In the product are:

• calcium;
• magnesium;
• iron;
• phosphorus;
• sodium;
• sulfur;
• vitamins A, PP, B, folic acid.

Only in the tops of this plant more calcium, sulfur and iron than in milk.

A small number of calories is just one of the many beneficial properties of a plant. It will appreciate wanting to lose weight. Mono- and disaharas, which are part of the product, are a find for diabetics. The product can be included in the diet of obese people.

Fresh turnips are good for keeping them cold. At any time, you can squeeze the juice out of it and use it, preventing the depletion of vitamins in the human body. These fruits are used to make jam, which helps fight vascular and heart diseases.

In addition, the vegetable has a huge positive effect on the body:

• improves overall health;
• acts as an antiseptic;
• can be used as an expectorant during colds;
• removes carcinogens from the body;
• relieves pain;
• can be used as a sedative.

Substances in these fruits, when used, benefit skin and hair. Studies show that using this product every day results in less hair falling out, and their condition is improving. The skin also becomes smoother. On it abscesses and other inflammations disappear.

The systematic use of the product leads to the fact that less edema appears on the face or on other parts of the body - the turnip has an excellent diuretic effect.

These properties of the product are especially interesting for women, who attach great importance to their own beauty. But these fruits have another important aspect - they help to normalize the emotional state of women against the background of natural processes associated with the hormonal cycle.

Good to use turnips and during pregnancy. The rich mineral composition of the vegetable supplies the body with all the substances necessary for both the fetus and the body of the woman herself during this crucial period.

Representatives of the stronger sex is also better not to neglect this amazing vegetable. It enhances the sexual functions of the male body. With regular use - at times. Men of young age will no longer need to whip themselves up with pharmaceutical preparations. Regular turnips cause the body to produce more testosterone. Due to its use, the number of sperm cells grows, as well as their motility.

She also with systematic eating gives you the opportunity to build muscle mass that athletes can adopt. With heavy loads on the body during exercise, sometimes pain in the joints occurs. Boiled turnips, turned in mashed potatoes, relieve these unpleasant feelings, if you make compresses out of it. The same measures will be effective for serious diseases of the joints.

The juice from the tops and leaves of the plant, as if from the fruit itself, mixed with the juices of other vegetables, can not only taste good, but also help from various ailments. If, for example, to combine carrot juice and squeezed from a dandelion and turnip in one glass, such drinking can strengthen teeth, bones, relieve from problems with sleep.

Turnip juice helps get rid of kidney stones, parasites. It does not allow the development of "carious monsters", and in old age - osteoporosis. Juice in a heated form can rinse your mouth with a toothache.

To combat the cough of such a vegetable make a special infusion. Turnips clean, rubbed on a coarse grater and pour hot water. Fifteen minutes later, it is filtered, a little bee-sweet is introduced into the liquid and consumed in a tablespoon four times a day.

When eating root improves bowel function, such a problem as constipation disappears. Also, substances that are in turnips, help fight cancer. Thanks to the pulp in the fruit, heavy metals and toxins are eliminated from the body when they are consumed. Root clean the liver, under the influence of substances in the vegetable, update the cells of this organ.

The big advantage of such a product and for kids. It is introduced into the diet in conjunction with mashed zucchini, cabbage or pumpkin. Food from this root is easily digested and provides the child's body with everything necessary, in particular, iron, which prevents the development of anemia. It is best for baby food to take fully mature fruit, the chemical composition of which contains the entire set of trace elements and vitamins.

At an early age, these fruits even affect the development of the brain of the child and his nervous system.

The advantages of the product may be its disadvantages for specific people. Therefore, turnips sometimes create harm to health.

Contraindications for its use are:

• allergic reaction;
• increased acidity of the stomach;
• exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases;
• diseases of the kidneys and bladder;
• thyroid disease.

In diabetes, turnips should be used wisely. How to use it and whether to do it in principle, the doctor will tell.

For people for whom this product is new, it is better to eat it in small quantities first, so that the body adapts to unfamiliar food without problems, as it can lead to increased gas formation.

Do not eat dishes from turnips during lactation. Your child may become allergic and become upset by digestion.

It is believed that raw turnip is very useful for the body, but some people are able to eat it only in stewed or baked form without harming themselves. Raw turnips are too hard food for people with gastritis or an ulcer.

Children can be given such a product only when they reach the age of three and also enter it into the diet slowly.

Recipes of dishes with turnips open up a wide scope for culinary creativity and are able to quickly and tasty fill up the daily menu. And the fruits themselves, and their tops are added to salads. Crushed turnip leaves in a company with other herbs serve as a dressing for soups and sauces. An excellent garnish is the puree of this product. Vegetable baked, stewed and hover.

In Korea, pickled turnips are a success, and in China - dried plastics. In France, it is stewed in a mixture with carrots and onions. In Turkey, turnips are seasoned with yogurt.

To prepare a turnip salad with an apple and a carrot, it will take no more than five minutes.

Have to take:

• a pair of small juicy turnips;
• one or two carrots, depending on their size, as well as the taste preferences of households;
• one big sour apple;
• tablespoon of vinegar;
• tablespoon of vegetable oil;
• half a teaspoon of lemon juice;
• spice.

Peel the carrot, apple and turnip. Grate all the grated fruits and put the resulting mass in a bowl. Add vinegar and lemon juice, spices and oil. Mix. Light dish can be served.

A good salad is obtained from turnips, garlic and carrots.

At hand should be:

• two small turnips;
• two carrots;
• several cloves of garlic (depending on the interest in the product);
• fat or light mayonnaise;
• a teaspoon of lemon juice;
• salt and spices to taste.

All components of the future salad need to be cleaned, carrots and turnips are passed through a large grater, put in a bowl. Squeeze the garlic there, season with spices, add salt and lemon juice. At the end, fill with mayonnaise (if desired, it is replaced with sour cream).

An interesting salad with turnip can be made if you have such ingredients on hand:

• small turnip;
• White cabbage);
• large carrots (or two);
• cranberry;
• parsley;
• honey;
• olive oil;
• salt.

Cabbage subtly chopped. Peel other vegetables and pass through a large grater. A handful of washed cranberries grind with a small amount of honey. Mix all the vegetables, season with oil, salt and honey cranberries. Top "build outfit" of berries and chopped parsley.

For another vitamin salad with turnips, you need to take:

• turnips;
• carrot;
• celery;
• a tomato;
• cucumber;
• pickled cabbage;
• mayonnaise;
• salt and sugar;
• dill and green onions.

Thinly chop the carrot, turnip, celery. Add pickled cabbage. Salt Mix with mayonnaise, add some sugar. Put thinly sliced ​​cucumber and tomato, greens on top.

Household people will be happy to turnip soup.

For cooking you need to take:

• one sweet turnip of small size;
• one small carrot;
• small onion;
• 0.5 kg zucchini or zucchini;
• two or three medium sized potatoes;
• 1.5 cups of milk;
• glass of water;
• any spices and salt.

All components of the soup must be cut into cubes. If there are concerns that the turnip will taste bitter, you can pour it with hot water before going to the pan and hold it for five to ten minutes.

Dip all cooked in boiled salty milky water. Cook. To make sure that you are ready, you can poke them in the vegetable cubes with a knife. Grind what turned out with a blender into a homogeneous mass, and then add spices. The soup is ready.

Steamed turnips (according to the Russian proverb) to cook is really easy. Especially when there is a multicooker on hand. Vegetable cut into cubes, distribute on a special stand for steaming. Pour water into the slow cooker and cook the vegetable with the appropriate mode. When the water starts to boil, hold the sliced ​​fruit in the cooking container for two minutes, then immediately pull it out. Put on a dish, sprinkle with salt and any spices on top.

Useful slow cooker and for cooking porridge from turnips.

Would need:

• 1.5 glasses of water or milk;
• 300 grams of sweet turnip;
• 100 grams of long grain rice (not steamed);
• two tablespoons of any butter.

From the turnips to remove the peel and cut into small pieces. Fry in a closed pan (the procedure takes up to ten minutes). When the vegetable becomes soft, it can easily be turned into mashed potatoes. Just in this form it is placed in a slow cooker (although, if it is not there, you can do with an ordinary saucepan), rice is also sent there, poured with water, salted according to your preferences and added any spices.

Will bring a fresh touch to the usual turnip menu, baked in the oven.

To make it you need the following components:

• one medium size turnip;
• a glass of broth (suitable and meat, and vegetable);
• 50 g fat cheese;
• 100 g of cream;
• butter;
• 100 g sour cream;
• two teaspoons of flour.

Clean the turnip and boil a little in the form of slices in salt water. After that, put the slices in a deep pan and densely cover with grated cheese. Boil a thick broth by mixing the cream and flour in it. How to mix it with a spoon or a whisk, so that no pieces are left from the flour. In a slightly cooled flour mass to add sour cream and butter.

To apply this structure on the turnip prepared to suppression. Form put in the oven at 180 degrees. Twenty minutes later it should be covered with a golden crust. The dish is ready.

Cooking turnips as a side dish is also not difficult.

It should be prepared:

• kilogram of turnip pulp;
• 50 g butter;
• a teaspoon of sugar;
• salt, spices.

Wash, peel and chop the turnip with slices. Put them in a saucepan and add water, wait until it boils, add sugar and add a pinch of salt. Cook until soft. Drain the water, fill the vegetable with spices. On a flat dish serve with meat.

To make a turnip and other vegetables stew, you will need the following products:

• 0.5 kg of sweet turnip pulp;
• a kilo of potatoes;
• 0.5 kg of white cabbage;
• two small onions;
• some tomato or tomato paste;
• two medium sized carrots;
• a few cloves of garlic;
• beef or pork - about half a kilo (although you can do without it, then you get a dietary meal);
• bay leaf or a mixture of peppers.

Turnips turn into slices, scald to remove bitterness. If the composition of the dish will be meat, it also needs to be cut into pieces and fry a little.

To extinguish you need to take a saucepan or a slow cooker. Place the pieces of meat into it, put the vegetables there, cut into pieces of the same size, add water or ready-made broth with tomato paste, add spices. On cooking dishes takes about an hour.

Easy to make and roasted root vegetables. Need to prepare:

• one turnip;
• one onion;
• favorite spices;
• butter.

"The Queen of the Old Russian table" wash and peel it off. Cut into pieces. Put them in a saucepan and pour water. After it boils, salt and cook for another four minutes. Then drain the broth, put a frying pan on the stove and heat the oil in it. Put boiled turnip in this container, add spices and fry until golden tint appears.

Turnip - quite suitable vegetable for stuffing.

To cook stuffed root vegetables, you need to have available:

• several large turnip fruits;
• 200-300 g of any stuffing;
• spice;
• one small onion;
• 50 g of solid fatty cheese;
• a couple of garlic cloves.

Wash the turnips and peel them off. Prepare a large pot. Put the whole vegetables in it and fill with water. Salt well. Cook for about twenty minutes on medium heat. Then remove the fruits, let them cool down a little and remove the pulp with a spoon. Finely chopped onion mixed with minced meat and seasonings. Spread the mixture over the empty turnips. "Entrances" in them to seal the pieces of cheese.

Put boiled root vegetables on a baking sheet and place in the oven, bake for about half an hour at a temperature of about 200 degrees.

Delicious is obtained and a dish with turnips, cooked in a pot.

To create it you will need:

• 0.5 kg of chicken or any other meat;
• about 300 grams of turnip pulp;
• small onion;
• one sweet pepper;
• two tablespoons of tomato paste (optional);
• a pair of garlic cloves;
• 200 g sour cream with a high percentage of fat;
• spice.

Pepper, turnip and meat divided into slices of approximately the same size, cut into onions into large pieces. Fry the vegetables for a few minutes on a pre-heated pan until golden. Then add meat to this mass and fry for five minutes.

Distribute the contents of the pans in pots, pour water into them so that it completely covers the cooked ingredients. Add tomato paste and sour cream (spoon), spices. Squeeze the garlic there.

Put the pots in the oven and cook for twenty minutes at about 200 degrees. After that, reduce the heat to 60 degrees and hold the pots in the oven for another 15 minutes.

A wonderful sweet dish for dinner can be turnips, stewed with apples. Have to take:

• 300 grams of root vegetables;
• 6-7 apples depending on their size;
• half a cup of raisins;
• some butter;
• sugar.

Cut the turnips into pieces, put them in a pan, pour water, oil. Stew under a lid on low heat. When the vegetable is half cooked, add sliced ​​apples, washed dried grapes and sugar to taste. Wait until ready.

Casserole lovers will appreciate this dish with turnips. For him you need to take:

• 0.5 kg of turnip;
• two eggs;
• butter;
• bread crumbs;
• 250 grams of heavy cream;
• salt.

Remove the peel from the root, divide it into pieces and boil it in water with a small amount of salt. Water to drain. Knead boiled vegetable in mashed potatoes, combine with cream and butter, mix. Beaten eggs pour into the total mass.

Grease a deep baking sheet with butter, put crackers on the bottom and place a creamy-vegetable mixture on top. Heat the oven to 180 degrees and put a baking tray in it for half an hour.

It is easy to cook a turnip in sour cream. You need to take as many root crops as will be enough for a family meal. Peel the fruits, divide each into quarters, put everything in the cooking pot, pour water so that the vegetables disappear under it, salt it. Add a spoonful of warmed butter. Wait until it boils. Then reduce the fire and leave on the stove for another fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, you need to make a sauce. In a deep frying pan put a couple of tablespoons of butter, heat and mix with two tablespoons of flour. Fry it until golden brown. After that add a glass of milk, while stirring with a spoon. Half ready sauce hold on the hot plate for five minutes, add three tablespoons of sour cream - ready.

Sauce pour the turnips and wait until it is finally ready.

Turnips can be used for cooking meatballs, which to taste will be very reminiscent of meat.

To create such a dish, you need to take:

• 0.5 kg of root vegetables;
• wheat bread or crackers;
• half a cup of milk;
• vegetable oil;
• bacon;
• eggs - two pieces;
• a pair of bulbs;
• two spoons of flour;
• salt.

Boil the root vegetable, mash with a fork to the state of mashed potatoes. Add to it crackers (bread). Heat the milk so that it becomes hot.Gradually mix with mashed potatoes. Also enter the eggs. Mix well and pour in some oil. Finely chop the fat and add it to the total mass. Fry the onions and send to the same. Salt

From the mixture, make cutlets, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and fry in a frying pan, then bring to the readiness in the oven. Serve with greens and sour cream.

From turnip can make a healthy cocktail. To prepare it, take one sweet root vegetable, carrots and beets. Rinse all vegetables thoroughly, heat with hot water, chop everything and squeeze out the juice. In the ratio of one to one add mineral water. Can be served at the table.

For the benefits and harm of turnips, see the following video.