Pink Pickled Turnips and Beets/Beetroots

Give humble turnips and beets a makeover by pickling them. We know that both vegetables were used in cooking ancient Babylonian stews. In the ancient Akkadian language, turnip was ‘liptu’ (cf. Arabic lift) and beetroot was ‘shumundar’ (cf. medieval shamandar and today’s shwandar). Although beetroot was not mentioned in medieval Baghdadi recipes, turnip was. It was prepared as stews and pickles. Pickled turnips, in particular, must have been quite popular. The anonymous