Parsley

Parsley, orgarden parsley(Petroselinumcrispum), is a species offlowering plantin the familyApiaceaethat is native toGreece,Moroccoand the formerYugoslavia.It has been introduced andnaturalizedin Europe and elsewhere in the world with suitable climates, and is widely cultivated as anherband avegetable.
It is believed to have been originally grown inSardinia, and was cultivated in around the 3rd century BC.Linnaeusstated its wild habitat to be Sardinia, whence it was brought to England and apparently first cultivated in Britain in 1548,though literary evidence suggests parsley was used in England in theMiddle Agesas early as theAnglo-Saxon period.
Parsley is widely used inEuropean,Middle Eastern, andAmerican cuisine.Curly-leaf parsleyis often used as agarnish. Incentral Europe,eastern Europe, and southern Europe, as well as inwestern Asia, many dishes are served with fresh green chopped parsley sprinkled on top.Flat-leaf parsleyis similar, but is often preferred by chefs because it has a stronger flavor.Root parsleyis very common in central, eastern, and southern European cuisines, where it is eaten as a snack, or as a vegetable in many soups, stews, andcasseroles.
The word "parsley" is a merger ofOld Englishpetersilie(which is identical to the contemporaryGermanword for parsley:Petersilie) and theOld Frenchperesil. Both of these names are derived fromMedieval Latinpetrosilium, fromLatinpetroselinum, which is thelatinizationof theGreekπετροσέλινον,petroselinon, 'rock-celery',fromπέτρα,petra, 'rock, stone'andσέλινον,selinon, 'celery'.Mycenaean Greek se-ri-no, inLinear B, is the earliest attested form of the wordselinon.
Garden parsley is a bright green,biennial plantin temperate climates, or anannualherb insubtropicalandtropicalareas.
Where it grows as a biennial, in the first year, it forms arosetteoftripinnateleaves 10–25 cm long with numerous 1–3 cm leaflets, and ataprootused as a food store over the winter. In the second year, it grows a flowering stem to 75 cm (30 in) tall with sparser leaves and flat-topped 3–10 cm diameterumbelswith numerous 2 mm diameter yellow to yellowish-green flowers.
Theseedsareovoid, 2–3 mm long, with prominentstyleremnants at theapex. One of the compounds of theessential oilisapiole. The plant normally dies after seed maturation.
Parsley is widely used inMiddle Eastern,Mediterranean,Brazilian, andAmericancuisine. Curly leaf parsley is used often as agarnish. Green parsley is used frequently as a garnish on potato dishes (boiled or mashed potatoes), on rice dishes (risottoorpilaf), on fish, fried chicken, lamb, goose, andsteaks, as well as in meat or vegetable stews (including shrimp creole,beef bourguignon,goulash, orchicken 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 ofbouquet garni, a bundle of fresh herbs used as an ingredient instocks,soups, andsauces. Freshly chopped green parsley is used as a topping for soups such aschicken soup, green salads, or salads such assalade Olivier, and onopen sandwicheswith cold cuts orpâtés.
Persilladeis a mixture of choppedgarlicand chopped parsley inFrench cuisine.
Parsley is the main ingredient in Italiansalsa 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 withbollito mistoor 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 inCentral,Eastern, andSouthern Europeancuisines, where it is used as a snack or a vegetable in many soups, stews, andcasseroles, and as ingredient forbroth.
InBrazil, freshly chopped parsley (salsa) and freshly choppedscallion(cebolinha) are the main ingredients in the herb seasoning calledcheiro-verde(literally "green aroma"), which is used as key seasoning for majorBrazilian dishes, including meat, chicken, fish, rice, beans, stews, soups, vegetables, salads, condiments, sauces, andstocks.Cheiro-verdeis sold in food markets as a bundle of both types of fresh herbs. In some Brazilian regions, chopped parsley may be replaced by choppedcoriander(also called cilantro,coentroin Portuguese) in the mixture.
Parsley is a key ingredient in several Middle Eastern salads such as Lebanesetabbouleh; it is also often mixed in with thechickpeasand/orfava beanswhile makingfalafel(that gives the inside of the falafel its green color). It is also a main component of theIranianstewghormeh sabzi.
Parsley is a component of a standardSeder platearrangement, it is eaten to symbolize the flourishing of the Jews after first arriving in Egypt.
Parsley is a source offlavonoidsandantioxidants, especiallyluteolin,apigenin,folate,vitamin K,vitamin C, andvitamin A. Half a tablespoon (a gram) of dried parsley contains about 6.0μgoflycopeneand 10.7 μg ofalpha caroteneas well as 82.9 μg oflutein+zeaxanthinand 80.7 μg ofbeta carotene.Dried parsley can contain about 45mg/gramapigenin.The apigenin content of fresh parsley is reportedly 215.5 mg/100 grams, which is much higher than the next highest food source, green celery hearts providing 19.1 mg/100 grams.Parsley essential oil is high inmyristicin.
Excessive consumption of parsley should be avoided by pregnant women. Normal food quantities are safe for pregnant women, but consuming excessively large amounts may haveuterotoniceffects.
Parsley grows best in moist, well-drained soil, with full sun. It grows best between 22–30 °C (72–86 °F), and usually is grown from seed.Germination is slow, taking four to six weeks,and it often is difficult because offuranocoumarinsin itsseed coat.Typically, plants grown for the leaf crop are spaced 10 cm apart, while those grown as a root crop are spaced 20 cm apart to allow for the root development.
Parsley attracts several species of wildlife. Someswallowtail butterfliesuse parsley as a host plant for their larvae;their caterpillars are black and green striped with yellow dots, and will feed on parsley for two weeks before turning into butterflies. Bees and other nectar-feeding insects also visit the flowers.
Parsley is subdivided into severalcultivar groups.Often these are treated as botanicalvarieties,despite being cultivated selections, not of natural botanical origin.
The two main groups of parsley used as herbs areFrench, orcurly leaf(P. crispumCrispum Group; syn.P. crispumvar.crispum); and,Italian, orflat leaf(P. crispumNeapolitanum Group; syn.P. crispumvar.neapolitanum).Flat-leaved parsley is preferred by some gardeners as it is easier to cultivate, being more tolerant of both rain and sunshine,and is said to have a stronger flavor—although this is disputed—while curly leaf parsley is preferred by others because of its more decorative appearance ingarnishing.A third type, sometimes grown in southern Italy, has thick leaf stems resemblingcelery.
Another type of parsley is grown as aroot vegetable, theHamburg root parsley(P. crispumRadicosum Group, syn.P. crispumvar.tuberosum). This type of parsley produces much thickerrootsthan types cultivated for their leaves. Although seldom used inBritainand theUnited States, root parsley is common incentralandeastern European cuisine, where it is used insoupsandstews, or simply eaten raw, as a snack (similar tocarrots).
Although root parsley looks similar to theparsnip, which is among its closest relatives in the family Apiaceae, its taste is quite different.