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The Rutabaga Trivia Quiz

September was National Rutabaga Month in the USA. Here are some totally trivial questions about this Rodney Dangerfield of vegetables.

A multiple-choice quiz by scalar. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
scalar

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
273,711

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
526

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Question 1 of 10

1. It is hard to find many people who name the rutabaga as their favorite vegetable. It is a close relative of this other not-overwhelmingly popular veggie and is often called a "Yellow" one.

Answer: (One Word, Six Letters)

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Question 2 of 10

2. The rutabaga is considered to be a cross between the turnip and which of these? Hint

Yam

Potato

Carrot

Cabbage

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Question 3 of 10

3. Another closely related vegetable to the rutabaga is: Hint

Broccoli

All three are related

Cauliflower

Brussels sprouts

4. I have to admit I have not been a regular consumer of rutabagas, so I purchased some twice recently to help prepare this quiz.
Most cookbooks recommend peeling and dicing the rutabaga into inch or so cubes.
What is the best implement, used with care, to do the dicing? Hint

A paring knife

A hatchet

A fork

A strong, sharp knife

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Question 5 of 10

5. Most cookbooks call for boiling the diced rutabaga for 20 to 30 minutes, but the published range is actually 10 minutes to several hours.

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. Ithaca, New York holds an annual event in which rutabagas are substituted for the normal equipment in what sport? Hint

Curling

Bowling

Baseball

Billards

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Question 7 of 10

7. Rutabagas may have actually preceded pumpkins in the Halloween tradition of carving Jack-o-Lanterns.

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. I bought some rutabagas recently. One check-out clerk paged frantically through the vegetable pages in his guide and finally asked "Is this a rutabaga?" The other did the same, but she gave up and asked, "OK, what the heck is this."
Their unfamiliarity probably came from the fact that the annual United States per capita consumption of rutabagas (in pounds) is: Hint

Five

Twenty

Ten

Less than One

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Question 9 of 10

9. It proved difficult to come up with ten questions about the rutabaga, so we'll go back to the origin of its name. It comes from the Swedish "rotabagge" meaning: Hint

Hard as a rock

More flavorful when cooked

Hard to cook

Round Root

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Question 10 of 10

10. At this time, no health issues have been linked to excessive consumption of rutabagas.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. It is hard to find many people who name the rutabaga as their favorite vegetable. It is a close relative of this other not-overwhelmingly popular veggie and is often called a "Yellow" one.

Answer: Turnip

The rutabaga is Brassica napobrassica and the turnip is Brassica rapa rapa.
In England and Ireland, the rutabaga is often called a "swede," in Scotland a "neep" and in the US a yellow turnip and Swedish turnip.

2. The rutabaga is considered to be a cross between the turnip and which of these?

Answer: Cabbage

Cabbage is another Brassica genus vegetable (Brassica oleracea).

3. Another closely related vegetable to the rutabaga is:

Answer: All three are related

Actually these three vegetables are, with cabbage, the same genus AND species, Brassica oleracea, and include kale and collard greens.
Other Brassica species are, unexpectedly, rape seed (canola) and mustard plant.

4. I have to admit I have not been a regular consumer of rutabagas, so I purchased some twice recently to help prepare this quiz. Most cookbooks recommend peeling and dicing the rutabaga into inch or so cubes. What is the best implement, used with care, to do the dicing?

Answer: A strong, sharp knife

I've actually seen a tongue-in-cheek picture of a hatchet in use for cutting up a rutabaga. They do resist chopping to a greater extent than most veggies.

5. Most cookbooks call for boiling the diced rutabaga for 20 to 30 minutes, but the published range is actually 10 minutes to several hours.

Answer: True

Internet searches for "Cook Rutabaga" return thousands of references. Ten minutes is the least time found for boiling, but as low as 5 or 6 for microwaving.
Some humorous discussions recommend from "all day" to "28 days in sulphuric acid and potash."
My own experience suggests an hour or more should be planned for in preparation. This is probably why stews and soups are a popular use for them.
If you have had different results, let me know.

6. Ithaca, New York holds an annual event in which rutabagas are substituted for the normal equipment in what sport?

Answer: Curling

The International Rutabaga Curling Championship is held on the last market day of the year at the Ithaca Farmer's Market and can draw over a hundred contestants. The court is the central hall of the market.
Cumberland, Wisconsin also has a Rutabaga Festival.

7. Rutabagas may have actually preceded pumpkins in the Halloween tradition of carving Jack-o-Lanterns.

Answer: True

Legend has it that a blacksmith named Jack found his way through the underworld using a large hollowed-out rutabaga with glowing coal inside. This story, like rutabagas themselves, may benefit from a grain of salt.

8. I bought some rutabagas recently. One check-out clerk paged frantically through the vegetable pages in his guide and finally asked "Is this a rutabaga?" The other did the same, but she gave up and asked, "OK, what the heck is this." Their unfamiliarity probably came from the fact that the annual United States per capita consumption of rutabagas (in pounds) is:

Answer: Less than One

Most data tables I can find combines production of rutabagas with turnips and one provided a total 200,000 metric tons. This works out to 440 million pounds; this is 1.4 pounds of both vegetables per person per year. One source just for rutabagas simply says "less than one pound." A pound is one or two rutabagas.
Are you doing your share?

9. It proved difficult to come up with ten questions about the rutabaga, so we'll go back to the origin of its name. It comes from the Swedish "rotabagge" meaning:

Answer: Round Root

All four statements are correct, but the answer is fairly obvious.
For more, only partly serious, information about the rutabaga online, look for "The Advanced Rutabaga Studies Institute."

10. At this time, no health issues have been linked to excessive consumption of rutabagas.

Answer: False

Rutabagas, along with cassava, sweet potatoes and lima beans, contain cyanoglucoside, which in high doses can cause hypothyroidism through the release of cyanide into the system. This may have been a problem during World War One, when rutabagas kept a large number of people in Europe from starvation.
Current consumption levels don't seem likely to pose a hazard.
I hope this quiz was informative and fun. I would like to hear any good rutabaga stories.

Source: Author scalar

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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