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Parsley- Spring's Herbal Answer

Parsley's flavor provides such mild yet fresh notes to any dish. You can use it as you would use chopped fresh spinach. That’s why parsley makes for such a fantastic companion for spring meals- as it allows the freshness of all of spring’s fare shine through and speak for itself!  Hailing from the Mediterranean region, parsley was naturalized in Europe and is now cultivated worldwide as an herb, spice, and a vegetable.

Found most heavily in Middle Eastern, European, and American cooking, its leaves are used similarly as coriander. Parsley is gentle, subtle, and almost grassy, typically thought of as a “fresh & bright” flavored herb that is mild and, therefore, suitable for all palettes. In central and eastern Europe and in western Asia, you’ll find fresh green chopped parsley sprinkled on top many dishes. Green parsley regularly acts as a garnish or accompanies potato dishes, rice dishes, fish, fried chicken, lamb or goose, and steaks, and flavors meat or vegetable stews (note beef bourguignon). Other parts of Europe favor using parsley as a part of bouquet garni, a grouping of fresh herbs used to flavor stocks, soups, and sauces. Without parsley, the national dish of Lebanon, tabbouleh, would cease to exist.

Oddly enough, parsley is actually a member of the carrot family and is one of the most nutritious of all herbs. Parsley, or Petroselinum crispum, grows best in moist, well-drained soil, basking in full sun. It produces snowflake-like formations of tiny yellow to yellowish-green flowers. While the curly leaf variety is usually preferred as a garnish, the flat leaf offers more flavor and is easier to cultivate and, therefore, is a more active component in the cooking process.

Countless generations have valued it for its medicinal properties, winning the favor of Hippocrates himself as a cure for a variety of ailments, including use as a poison antidote. Pliny, as in the first century Roman, wrote that there would not be a salad or sauce served without parsley! The Greeks, on the other hand, wouldn't eat it. They held the belief that parsley had sprung from the blood of their hero Archemorus upon his death by a dragon, therefore, it was considered sacred. In Medieval times, party people placed it on tables and around their necks to absorb food odors.

Parsley has a way of enhancing the naturally positive properties of any dish without compromising or overpowering flavors. As the most nutritious culinary herb with a world of possibilities for your health and well-being and its wide availability throughout the world, there’s no question this beautiful and gentle herb should be making its appearances in your spring meals and beyond!