Teltower Rübchen

Brandenburg's prized little turnips, browned in butter and sugar and braised in stock to a glossy glaze, as Goethe loved them

Origin: Teltow, Brandenburg, Germany

From the journey of Turnip.

The Teltower Rübchen, the 'little Teltow turnip', is the one form of the humble turnip that Germany raised into a genuine delicacy. Grown in the poor, sandy soils south of Berlin around the town of Teltow, this small, slender, finger-sized turnip develops in that lean ground a sweet, nutty, concentrated flavour quite unlike the watery field turnip, and it became in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries a celebrated speciality of the Prussian and Berlin table. Goethe so loved them that he had them sent to him in Weimar; the grand kitchens of Frederick the Great's Prussia prized them, and they survive today as a protected and sought-after regional rarity. The classic preparation is the simplest that will flatter so fine a root, and it is essentially the German cousin of the French navets glacés: the little turnips are peeled, browned gently in butter with a pinch of sugar until they take a little colour, then braised in stock until tender and glazed, often with a light dusting of flour to bind the buttery sauce to a glossy coat. Served as a refined vegetable beside roast meats and game, they show the turnip not as the food of hardship the Germans long knew it to be, but as a thing of delicacy and civic pride.

Ingredients

700 g small turnips (Teltower Rübchen if available, otherwise the smallest, youngest turnips you can find), peeled
40 g butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp plain flour
300 ml beef or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp chopped parsley, to finish

Method

If the turnips are larger than a thumb, halve or quarter them so the pieces are even; leave true small Teltow turnips or baby turnips whole.
Melt the butter in a wide pan, stir in the sugar, and add the turnips. Cook over medium heat, turning, until they take on a light golden colour and the sugar begins to caramelise, about 6–8 minutes.
Sprinkle over the flour and stir for a minute to cook it out.
Pour in the stock, season with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg, and bring to a simmer. Cook, partly covered, for about 15 minutes, until the turnips are tender.
Uncover and let the liquid reduce to a glossy, light sauce that coats the turnips, rolling the pan to glaze them evenly.
Scatter with parsley and serve hot, as a side to roast pork, beef, or game.

Notes

True Teltower Rübchen are a protected rarity even in Germany; the smallest, youngest turnips you can find are the best substitute, as the dish depends on the sweet delicacy of a small root. The light flour-bound glaze is the traditional Prussian finish; for a lighter version, omit the flour and simply reduce the buttery stock to a glaze, as for the French navets glacés. A splash of white wine in place of some of the stock is a refined touch.

The Gastrographer

Name: Teltower Rübchen
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Germany
Ingredients: 700 g small turnips (Teltower Rübchen if available, otherwise the smallest, youngest turnips you can find), peeled; 40 g butter; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp plain flour; 300 ml beef or vegetable stock; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg; 1 tbsp chopped parsley, to finish

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control