I found the following on Wikipedia.

"The swede is native to Sweden, and was introduced into Scotland. From there, it spread to the rest of Britain and to North America. In continental Europe, it acquired a bad name when it became a food of last resort during World War I. In the German "Steckrübenwinter" of 1916/17, large parts of the population were kept alive on a diet consisting of little else than swedes. After the war, most people were so tired of eating swedes that they have remained unpopular to this day..."

Do only I find that funny?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga