Vegetable
Purple Top
S tier
Purple Top White Globe is the classic two-tone turnip—violet shoulders where sun hits, white below and inside—sweet-peppery flesh for mashing with potatoes, roasting, and Southern greens culture from the tops. Medium globes are best; giants grow corky. It is the default “turnip” of many Western markets. Mash, glaze, or raw matchsticks. Cook greens separately like mustardy spinach. Store cold; tops off for longer root keeping.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
GlazeGreens PotlikkerPotato Mash MixRaw StickRoast
Traits
Classic TurnipDual Root LeafMarket DefaultMash And Green DualMedium Best QualityPurple Shoulder White GlobeSweet PepperTwo Tone
History
US
Purple Top White Globe became a standard American table and garden turnip.
US
Southern cooking elevated purple-top turnips and their greens.
Commodity purple-top turnips filled grocery bins worldwide.
Purple Top remained the visual default turnip for most shoppers.