Bacon adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
turnips
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A root vegetable (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa) with white flesh, a mild peppery-bitter flavor from glucosinolates, and a high water content. Young, small turnips…
35 pairings
Editorial
Flavor profile
Turnip flavor is determined primarily by size and age: small, young turnips (golf ball to tennis ball size) are mild, slightly sweet, and can be eaten raw (shaved in salads) or very briefly cooked; large mature turnips have more developed glucosinolate bitterness and benefit from cooking that tames the sharpness. Turnips are remarkable quickly braised or glazed (the French navets glacés — small turnips in butter and sugar, slowly caramelized until golden and tender) are one of the great forgotten vegetable preparations. The French tradition of braised duck or pork with turnips exploits the turnip's ability to absorb savory cooking fat and round out its own bitterness. Pickled turnips (bright magenta when pickled with beet; the characteristic condiment of Lebanese and Turkish cuisine) use the brassica bitterness as a counterpoint to rich shawarma and falafel. In Japanese cooking, small kabu (Japanese turnip) pickled in salt (kabuzuke) or vinegar is a traditional tsukemono. Mashed with butter and cream, turnips have a mild, slightly peppery character — much lighter than potato mash.
Pairings
Flavor relationships
Pairs well with
bacon
bay leaf
butter, unsalted
carrots
celery root
cheese, parmesan
cream
curry
dill
duck
garlic
honey
juniper berries
lamb
leeks
lemon, juice
marjoram
nutmeg
onions
parsley
pepper, black
pepper, white
poppy seeds
pork
potatoes
prosciutto
salt, kosher
salt, rock
salt, sea
shiso
stock, chicken
sugar
sweet potatoes
thyme
vinegar
bacon
Bacon adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
bay leaf
Bay Leaf adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
butter, unsalted
Butter, Unsalted adds richness and helps carry turnips's flavor, giving the pairing a smoother texture and a more rounded finish.
carrots
Carrots adds complementary vegetable character, giving turnips more contrast in texture, sweetness, bitterness, or freshness.
celery root
Celery Root adds complementary vegetable character, giving turnips more contrast in texture, sweetness, bitterness, or freshness.
cheese, parmesan
Cheese, Parmesan adds salt, fat, and savory depth that give turnips more structure and make the combination feel fuller.
cream
Cream rounds turnips' bite and turns their earthy sharpness into a smoother purée or gratin.
curry
Curry adds spice, warmth, or aromatic complexity that plays against turnips's natural base notes.
dill
Dill adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
duck
Duck adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
garlic
Garlic supplies an allium backbone that deepens turnips's savory side and gives the pairing a more complete cooked flavor.
honey
Honey adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
juniper berries
Juniper Berries adds fruitiness and natural sweetness that rounds out turnips's sharper, richer, or more aromatic side.
lamb
Lamb adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
leeks
Leeks supplies an allium backbone that deepens turnips's savory side and gives the pairing a more complete cooked flavor.
lemon, juice
Lemon, Juice brings acidity and brightness that sharpens turnips's flavor and keeps the pairing lively.
marjoram
Marjoram adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
nutmeg
Nutmeg adds spice, warmth, or aromatic complexity that plays against turnips's natural base notes.
onions
Onions supplies an allium backbone that deepens turnips's savory side and gives the pairing a more complete cooked flavor.
parsley
Parsley adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
pepper, black
Pepper, Black brings heat, sharpness, or tang that wakes up turnips's milder flavors and adds contrast.
pepper, white
Pepper, White brings heat, sharpness, or tang that wakes up turnips's milder flavors and adds contrast.
poppy seeds
Poppy Seeds complements turnips by adding contrast, depth, or texture without overwhelming the ingredient's main character.
pork
Pork adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
potatoes
Potatoes gives turnips a starchy, baked, or structured base that absorbs flavor and makes the pairing feel more substantial.
prosciutto
Prosciutto adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
salt, kosher
Salt, Kosher adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
salt, rock
Salt, Rock adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
salt, sea
Salt, Sea adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
shiso
Shiso complements turnips by adding contrast, depth, or texture without overwhelming the ingredient's main character.
stock, chicken
Stock, Chicken adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
sugar
Sugar adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
sweet potatoes
Sweet Potatoes gives turnips a starchy, baked, or structured base that absorbs flavor and makes the pairing feel more substantial.
thyme
Thyme adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
vinegar
Vinegar brings acidity and brightness that sharpens turnips's flavor and keeps the pairing lively.
Bay Leaf adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
butter, unsalted
Butter, Unsalted adds richness and helps carry turnips's flavor, giving the pairing a smoother texture and a more rounded finish.
Carrots adds complementary vegetable character, giving turnips more contrast in texture, sweetness, bitterness, or freshness.
Celery Root adds complementary vegetable character, giving turnips more contrast in texture, sweetness, bitterness, or freshness.
Cheese, Parmesan adds salt, fat, and savory depth that give turnips more structure and make the combination feel fuller.
cream
Cream rounds turnips' bite and turns their earthy sharpness into a smoother purée or gratin.
curry
Curry adds spice, warmth, or aromatic complexity that plays against turnips's natural base notes.
Dill adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
Duck adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
Garlic supplies an allium backbone that deepens turnips's savory side and gives the pairing a more complete cooked flavor.
Honey adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
Juniper Berries adds fruitiness and natural sweetness that rounds out turnips's sharper, richer, or more aromatic side.
Lamb adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
Leeks supplies an allium backbone that deepens turnips's savory side and gives the pairing a more complete cooked flavor.
lemon, juice
Lemon, Juice brings acidity and brightness that sharpens turnips's flavor and keeps the pairing lively.
Marjoram adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
Nutmeg adds spice, warmth, or aromatic complexity that plays against turnips's natural base notes.
Onions supplies an allium backbone that deepens turnips's savory side and gives the pairing a more complete cooked flavor.
Parsley adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
Pepper, Black brings heat, sharpness, or tang that wakes up turnips's milder flavors and adds contrast.
Pepper, White brings heat, sharpness, or tang that wakes up turnips's milder flavors and adds contrast.
Poppy Seeds complements turnips by adding contrast, depth, or texture without overwhelming the ingredient's main character.
Pork adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
Potatoes gives turnips a starchy, baked, or structured base that absorbs flavor and makes the pairing feel more substantial.
Prosciutto adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
Salt, Kosher adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
salt, rock
Salt, Rock adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
salt, sea
Salt, Sea adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
shiso
Shiso complements turnips by adding contrast, depth, or texture without overwhelming the ingredient's main character.
stock, chicken
Stock, Chicken adds savory richness and browned depth that gives turnips more weight and turns it into a heartier dish.
sugar
Sugar adds seasoning or sweetness that balances turnips's sharper, richer, or earthier qualities.
Sweet Potatoes gives turnips a starchy, baked, or structured base that absorbs flavor and makes the pairing feel more substantial.
Thyme adds herbal lift and aromatic contrast, keeping turnips from tasting too heavy, flat, or one-dimensional.
vinegar
Vinegar brings acidity and brightness that sharpens turnips's flavor and keeps the pairing lively.