Field guide · Autumn–winter

Turnip

Nabo in Portugal and Spain, rapa in Italy — and in Portugal the root is frequently not the point at all. The young leaves are sold on their own as nabiças and the flowering tops as grelos, both of which turn up in soup and alongside pork far more often than the white root does. Buy small either way: much bigger than a fist and it goes woody and harshly peppery. Simplest thing to do with it: quartered and roasted hard until the cut edges catch, which trades the pepper for sweetness.

Noted 2026-07-26