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The Exalted Song of the Rutabaga (1917)

Rationing on the home front during the First World War introduced many households to inferior substitute foods. Turnips and rutabagas became symbolic of war-time shortages. Recipes and techniques to hide or cover up the flavor of these vegetables did little to alter their distinctive taste. Here is an ironic German song about the rutabaga and its various guises.

Click on print version (below) for an English translation of the song.

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The Exalted Song of the Rutabaga (1917)

© Deutsches Historisches Museum