What is a mangelwurzel, the viral vegetable sensation?

It sounds like a dishevelled scarecrow, but the mangelwurzel is the latest unusual vegetable to take social media by storm.

It used to be used as cattle fodder, but is actually a quirky relative of beetroot, sugar beet and chard, producing a huge root with chard-like leaves, which can be cooked and enjoyed.

It comes in red, yellow and white, producing large bulbous roots under leafy greens which resemble those of Swiss chard and are nutritious.

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Heritage seed company She Grows Veg is among the few bringing back the mangelwurzel to amateur UK gardeners and co-founder Kate Cotterill, with Lucy Hutchings, says the trend “has gone absolutely bonkers” on social media.

“If you remember Worzel Gummidge (the scarecrow played by actor Jon Pertwee), that was his head. It was relegated to become cattle fodder, but historically it used to be consumed by humans, and now allotmenteers are going crazy for it,” she says.

What is its history?

The vegetable, also known as the mangold, the yellowbeet or mangelbeet, was originally cultivated as cattle fodder in the 18th century.

Historically, they were carved out (instead of pumpkins) and carried through the village of Hinton St George in Somerset to celebrate Punkie Night, which takes place on the third Thursday in October. In Norfolk and Wales they are carved out for Halloween celebrations.

The book character Worzel Gummidge reputedly got his name from mangelwurzels, and also had a mangelwurzel as one of his three interchangeable heads in the series: mangelwurzel, swede and turnip.

What does it taste like?

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Both the root and leaves are edible. Use the leaves and the stems just as you would spinach or chard, she suggests, lightly steaming them as a vegetable or in salads. The roots taste similar to beetroot, although sweeter. They are conical and can reach up to weights of 5kg or more.

It’s best to pick the leaves small when they will be particularly tender, while the roots can be used in recipes as you would use swede or beetroot, so you could have them boiled, roasted, put them in soups, add the roots to curries and stews or have them raw in salads.

You could even pickle them and some enthusiasts make wine, beer and cider from them.

When do you sow it?

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Sow it from mid-February to May undercover in peat-free compost in module trays with one seed per 3cm or 4cm module. The seeds can be slow to germinate, so you’ll need to be patient, but once the seedlings are 6-8cm tall you can plant them out 30cm apart, 2cm deep, and water in.

Grow them on in well-dug, well-composted soil and water them regularly so that the roots become tender and tasty.

They are tough veg once established, but keep them weed free and water them during dry periods.

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Mulch them if you have free-draining soil or hot summers as they need moist soil for the roots to grow large. They can be harvested from the autumn, but don’t leave them in over the winter as hard frosts can damage the roots.

How would you serve it?

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“You cook it like a beetroot or roast it. There are several types – a yellow and a red one, so you’ve a couple of colours to play with. It looks a bit like the mandrake from Harry Potter. So there are lots of children getting involved in growing it,” Cotterill explains.

By virtue of its sweetness, some people even use it in cake recipes.