Petroselinum crispum var. tuberosum

Description

A herb. This parsley plant is cultivated for its edible roots. The roots look like a small parsnip. They are 15-22 cm long.

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Edible Uses

Parsley is widely used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Brazilian, and American cuisine. Curly leaf parsley is used often as a garnish. Green parsley is used frequently as a garnish on potato dishes (boiled or mashed potatoes), on rice dishes (risotto or pilaf), on fish, fried chicken, lamb, goose, and steaks, as well as in meat or vegetable stews (including shrimp creole, beef bourguignon, goulash, or chicken paprikash). Parsley seeds are also used in cooking, imparting a stronger parsley flavor than leaves. Parsley, when consumed, is credited with neutralising odours associated with garlic in cooking. In central Europe, eastern Europe, and southern Europe, as well as in western Asia, many dishes are served with fresh green, chopped parsley sprinkled on top. In southern and central Europe, parsley is part of bouquet garni, a bundle of fresh herbs used as an ingredient in stocks, soups, and sauces. Freshly chopped green parsley is used as a topping for soups such as chicken soup, green salads, or salads such as salade Olivier, and on open sandwiches with cold cuts or pâtés. Persillade is a mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley in French cuisine. Parsley is the main ingredient in Italian salsa verde, which is a mixed condiment of parsley, capers, anchovies, garlic, and sometimes bread, soaked in vinegar. It is an Italian custom to serve it with bollito misto or fish. Gremolata, a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, is a traditional accompaniment to the Italian veal stew, ossobuco alla milanese. Root parsley is very common in Central, Eastern, and Southern European cuisines, where it is used as a snack or a vegetable in many soups, stews, and casseroles, and as ingredient for broth. Freshly chopped parsley (salsa) and freshly chopped scallion (cebolinha) are the main ingredients in the herb seasoning called cheiro-verde (literally "green aroma"), which is used as key seasoning for major Brazilian dishes, including meat, chicken, fish, rice, beans, stews, soups, vegetables, salads, condiments, sauces, and stocks. Cheiro-verde is sold in food markets as a bundle of both types of fresh herbs. In some Brazilian regions, chopped parsley may be replaced by chopped coriander (also called cilantro, coentro in Portuguese) in the mixture. Parsley is a key ingredient in several Middle Eastern salads such as Lebanese tabbouleh; it is also often mixed in with the chickpeas and/or fava beans while making falafel (that gives the inside of the falafel its green color). It is also a main component of the Iranian stew ghormeh sabzi. Parsley is a component of a standard Seder plate arrangement, it is eaten to symbolize the flourishing of the Jews after first arriving in Egypt.

Traditional Uses

The root has a strong taste and is used in stews. They are cooked and eaten like celeriac. The thick, fleshy roots are thinly sliced and eaten raw in salads. The roots can be fried and made into chips. Young leaves can be used in soup and stew.

Distribution

It suits hardiness zones 7-9.

Where It Grows

Australia, Europe, Germany, Hawaii, Hungary, Netherlands, North America, Pacific, Poland, Russia, USA,

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

VERY TOXIC

Fool's Parsley

Aethusa cynapium

H. Zell

Safe

Hamburg parsley

Petroselinum crispum var. tuberosum

(c) Юрий, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Юрий

Fool's Parsley: Long downward-pointing bracts beneath flower clusters, bitter taste, slightly shinier leaves.

Hamburg parsley: Pleasant parsley flavour, no downward-pointing bracts under flowers.

Nutrition

Synonyms

References (14)

• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 264
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1016
• Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 21
• Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 170
• Hemphill, I, 2002, Spice Notes. Macmillan. p 285

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