Italian Parsley

Summary

Italian Parsley is a bright green, biennial herb, also used as spice. It is very common in Middle Eastern, European, and American cooking.

Contents

Italian Parsley has flat leaves as opposed to the curly-leaf parsley we also use. It's a member of the carrot family and is native to the Mediterranean. Every major cuisine on earth has found uses for parsley, even using it for perfume and medicinal applications as far back as 3 B.C. Colonists brought it to the Americas. It's used for both flavor and appearance in every category of foods except perhaps sweets.

In parts of Europe, and particularly in West Asia, many foods are served with chopped parsley sprinkled on top. The fresh flavor of parsley goes extremely well with fish. Additionally, parsley is often used as a garnish.

Parsley also has a variety of medicinal uses.

Parsley grows well in deep pots, which helps accommodate the long taproot. Parsley grown indoors requires at least five hours of sunlight a day.

1. Parsley, Peppers, Potatoes & Peas, Pat Katz (2002)

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley
2. http://www.freshherbs.com/hints_and_tips/default.aspx?hid=9