These inconspicuous root tubers are considered a regional specialty. Teltower turnips are considered the smallest and tastiest edible turnip of all. From time immemorial, they have been a peasant food, but also highly sought after among gourmets. In Napoleon’s time in France they had the name “navets de Teltow” and also our poet prince Johann Wolfgang von Goethe loved their peculiar and difficult to describe taste.
Here’s what you should know about Teltower turnips.
Teltower turnips are considered to be the smallest and tastiest turnip of all the different varieties of turnips. Teltower turnips are small, beige-colored outside, slightly yellowish inside cone-shaped root tubers. The turnips have a rettich-like taste. They require sandy soil and have been grown for about three hundred years in the area surrounding Berlin, in the “Teltow” landscape. The city of Teltow gave them their name. Originally, they were probably imported from England to Pomerania and Brandenburg to make the sandy soil there usable for cattle feed. However, the taste of these small edible beets delighted more and more people, and so the Teltow farmers eventually brought them by the ton to the trade, especially to Berlin. Here, the beets became the people’s food. As long as there was enough cheap labor in rural areas, the relatively small harvest and the laborious harvesting activity were not an economic issue, because the crop was grown as a follow-on crop after the rye harvest. Beets were sown directly in the field in August as a following crop and harvested starting in October. Harvesting was very laborious, as each turnip had to be hoed out individually by hand. Harvesting took place throughout the fall, so that this popular root vegetable was still available as a side dish for Christmas roast. With the advance of mechanization, but especially due to the change in the agricultural structure in the former GDR, the cultivation of this specialty was no longer economical and the Teltower turnip fell into oblivion. In the past five decades, it has been used only by enthusiasts and hobby gardeners on a small scale and for their own consumption. A community of these small producers founded the “Förderverein für das Teltower Rübchen” in the fall of 1999. This association has set itself the goal of reintroducing the turnip as a culinary and regional speciality to a wider public as well as reviving the market for this small and fine delicacy. The highlight of the association’s work is a turnip festival held in Teltow in September, combined with the appointment of a prince and princess. During the harvest season, special turnip specialties are offered in the city of Teltow, such as turnip cake and turnip ice cream, a special tea, marzipan, and a high-proof turnip spirit. Today, Teltow turnips are mainly sown directly in the field in August as a second crop, as in the past, and harvested in October and November. However, harvesting is also possible in early summer, when seed has been placed in the ground from mid-March to early April. The smaller the bulb diameter, the higher the quality. The best quality turnips are those that are no larger than 5 cm in diameter. Today, Teltow turnips are sold on the market from May to August and from October to December. This turnip is not hardy. It can be stored in the dark in a cellar, embedded in slightly moist sand. In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator it can be stored for up to 5 days.
Importance for health
Berlin researchers from the Technical University of Berlin claim that Teltower turnips have much more potential than broccoli. Their most important ingredients are glucosinolates and bitter compounds. These plant substances are said to be able to prevent cancer, especially in the colon. Glucosinolates (mustard oil glycosides) belong to the secondary plant substances. They protect plants against pests and environmental influences and are regarded as important protective factors against the occurrence of many diseases in humans. Glucosinolates are sulfur– and nitrogen-containing chemical compounds formed from amino acids. They give the slightly bitter, aromatic taste to many vegetables such as all types of cabbage, cress and radish, radishes and beets. Bitter substances are generally considered to be very healthy, they promote healthy digestion and they fight microbes, bacteria and even viruses and fungi.
Ingredients and nutritional values
Teltower turnips not only contain the already mentioned bitter substances, they are a low-calorie and low-fat, healthy vegetable. Thus, they contain all the essential amino acids, vitamins C and E, all the important B vitamins and folic acid. Beets are also rich in essential oils and fiber. They contain about 90% water, making them suitable for a low-calorie diet. Dietary fibers are those edible food components that cannot be digested in the small intestine and pass intact into the large intestine. In the large intestine, they are processed by intestinal bacteria. The insoluble dietary fibers in particular protect against constipation by increasing stool volume and shortening intestinal transit time. The processing of dietary fiber by intestinal bacteria also produces short-chain fatty acids. These are an important source of energy for the cells of the colon and are thought to inhibit the growth and proliferation of tumor cells.
Intolerances and allergies
There are people who are sensitive to foods from the cruciferous plant family. Teltower turnip is one of them, as are mustard and all cabbage varieties, as well as rapeseed, turnip and all turnip varieties, as well as radish, radish, horseradish, kohlrabi, etc. An individual allergy spectrum does not have to remain constant throughout life. For example, someone who cannot tolerate cauliflower may also be allergic to turnips or have intolerances to them. The greater the relationship between allergenic substances, the greater the risk of reacting to them over time. So caution is advised.
Shopping and kitchen tips
Although Teltower turnips can be stored quite easily, it is advisable to buy them fresh, for example, at the market. With each day of storage in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, they lose flavor. The tubers should be plump and crisp. Their diameter should not be larger than 5 cm. Before eating or preparing, the turnips must be freed from their outer covering by scraping or peeling.
Preparation tips
This tasty, aromatic root vegetable is excellent in salads. Cooked, they are suitable as a soup or as a side dish with smoked meat, smoked pork, lamb, sausage and roast duck and goose. A stew is popular as a main course, supplemented with potatoes and seasoned with sour cream and plenty of parsley. Classically, Teltow turnips are lightly sautéed whole or halved in butter and caramelized sugar, deglazed with meat broth and steamed. This produces a dark sauce that is lightly bound with a little flour. In addition, there are many other recipes and it is worth trying one or the other once.
