Argthtjtr

I recently ordered a grocery delivery from Whole Foods, and as I was ordering I noticed they had rutabagas, which I've never had before, so I decided to try them. What I got was this:

They don't look anything like any picture I can find online of rutabagas, which are supposed to look like a large turnip. Instead, these appear to be some sort of yam. (That is, an actual yam, not a sweet potato, which for some reason is commonly called a yam in the US!)

Adding to the confusion, they appear to be coated with a thick layer of wax. I googled vegetables covered with wax, and all that shows up is lots of pages about rutabagas! Rutabagas, it turns out, are commonly waxed to keep them from drying out. I can't find any information about waxed yams, though. So, what are these things?

It looks like it could be yucca/cassava, based on the appearance alone. The picture on Wikipedia even shows a waxed version.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava

It really looks like cassava. Are you in the U.S.? Can you call the Whole Foods that prepared your order to confirm this vegetable? You can Google "cassava," and "rutabaga," and see the clear differences between vegetables... yours looks like the former, while rutabagas look like balls of white and pink (like beets). Also, be sure to look up how to cook/prepare cassava. Hope it goes well!

https://www.google.com/search?q=cassava+root&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiV19yn4-ngAhVNMt8KHTwADNUQ_AUIDigB&biw=1315&bih=684

It looks like taro root to me, if it's purple inside it probabls is.

https://www.google.com/search?q=taro&safe=active&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS820US820&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjghf7L0OngAhUIip4KHe2kA-kQ_AUIDigB&biw=1091&bih=1388&dpr=1.1

One more vote for yuca. Kind of potato-ey. Peel it and cut into 1-1.5" pieces and boil until mostly cooked - it will look more and more like boiled white potato. Remove from water, cool enough to handle, remove hard chalk-white stringy bits/chunks, typically found running down the middle of the root at the core. Try to keep it in bite size pieces.

At that point I go in one of two directions - finish with a roast garlic, olive oil and white vinegar drizzle, serving with rice, beans, roast chicken or pork and cooked (roast or pan fried) very ripe plantains.

Or fry until golden brown and crispy. Make a dip with ketchup, mayo, garlic, chili powder, and hot sauce. Goes well with tostones (twice fried hard green plantains) and other latin america foods.