When I was child in northwestern England, many aeons ago, I would make my Halloween lanterns out of rutabaga, which were a much more suitable size, but were extremely tough and quite stinky. Luckily, this root isn’t readily available in Barcelona. My advice is to embrace both of your other options—the pumpkin and turnip both have lots to offer in terms of health, happiness and Halloween fun.
Let’s turn to the turnip first, in honour of its greater age—at least on these shores. There’s a traditional saying that goes: “For All Saints, look to your turnips.” I’m not sure if this is some form of rustic double-entendre, or just a recognition that at this time of year it’s a good idea to make friends with a root vegetable for a vitamin boost before the winter.
The most famous Catalan turnip is the nap de Talltendre from the Cerdanya region, which is traditionally served with local duck (tiró) or pig’s trotters on All Saints day. The high manganese content in the local soil is said to give this king of neeps its distinctive flavour. However, although any turnip from the Cerdanya can be given the name of nap de Talltendre, it’s only those grown in the mineral rich soil of Bellver, in the villages of Talltendre and Orden that are said to have the right, distinctive flavour.
It’s not just the root of this veg that’s appreciated. Turnip tops are also eaten, especially in Galicia where grelos, as they’re called, are combined with meat, potatoes and other vegetables in the traditional caldo gallego.
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