Parsley

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Parsley

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a bright green

Green

Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520?570-Nanometre....
, biennial

Biennial plant

A biennial plant is a flowering plant that takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle. In the first year the plant grows leaves, stems, and roots , then it enters a period of dormancy over the colder months....
herb

Herb

A herb is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like....
, also used as spice

Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetable used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth....
. It is very common in Middle Eastern

Middle Eastern cuisine

Middle Eastern cuisine is the cuisine of the various countries and peoples of the Middle East. The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity....
, European

European cuisine

European cuisine, or alternatively Western cuisine is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of Europe and other Western world....
, and American

American cuisine

American cuisine can refer to the cuisine of several regions:*Latin American cuisine*North American cuisine*cuisine of the United States...
cooking

Cooking

Cooking is the process of preparing food by applying heat, selecting, measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible food....
. Parsley is used for its leaf

Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
in much the same way as coriander

Coriander

Coriander is an annual plant herb in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as cilantro, particularly in the USA. Coriander is native to southwestern Asia west to north Africa....
(which is also known as Chinese parsley or cilantro), although it has a milder flavor than coriander.
Varieties
Two forms of parsley are used as herbs: curly leaf and Italian, or flat leaf (P.

Nutrition Facts

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Calories in ???
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Encyclopedia

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a bright green
Green

Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520?570-Nanometre....
, biennial
Biennial plant

A biennial plant is a flowering plant that takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle. In the first year the plant grows leaves, stems, and roots , then it enters a period of dormancy over the colder months....
herb
Herb

A herb is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like....
, also used as spice
Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetable used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth....
. It is very common in Middle Eastern
Middle Eastern cuisine

Middle Eastern cuisine is the cuisine of the various countries and peoples of the Middle East. The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity....
, European
European cuisine

European cuisine, or alternatively Western cuisine is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of Europe and other Western world....
, and American
American cuisine

American cuisine can refer to the cuisine of several regions:*Latin American cuisine*North American cuisine*cuisine of the United States...
cooking
Cooking

Cooking is the process of preparing food by applying heat, selecting, measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible food....
. Parsley is used for its leaf
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
in much the same way as coriander
Coriander

Coriander is an annual plant herb in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as cilantro, particularly in the USA. Coriander is native to southwestern Asia west to north Africa....
(which is also known as Chinese parsley or cilantro), although it has a milder flavor than coriander.
Varieties

Two forms of parsley are used as herbs: curly leaf and Italian, or flat leaf (P. neapolitanum). Curly leaf parsley is often used as a garnish. Many people think flat leaf parsley has a stronger flavor, and this opinion is backed by chemical analysis which finds much higher levels of essential oil
Essential oil

An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove....
in the flat-leaved cultivar
Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s. One of the compounds of the essential oil is apiol
Apiol

Apiol is an organic chemical compound, also known as parsley apiol, apiole or parsley camphor. It is found in celery, parsley seeds, and the essential oil of parsley....
. The use of curly leaf parsley may be favored by some because it cannot be confused with poison hemlock, like flat leaf parsley or chervil
Chervil

Chervil is a delicate annual plant herb related to parsley. Sometimes called garden chervil, it is used to season mild-flavoured dishes and is a constituent of the French herb mixture fines herbes....
.

Root parsley
Another type of parsley is grown as a root vegetable
Root vegetable

Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Other underground plants are often, erroneously, called root vegetables. Root vegetables include both true roots such as tuberous roots and taproots, but exclude non-roots such as tubers, rhizomes, corms, and bulbs....
, as with hamburg root parsley. This type of parsley produces much thicker root
Root

In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial root or aerating ....
s than types cultivated for their leaves. Although little known in Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, root parsley is very common in Central
Central Europe

Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern Europe and Western Europe Europe. In addition, Northern Europe, Southern Europe and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe....
and Eastern European cuisine
Eastern European cuisine

Eastern European cuisine is the cuisine of Eastern Europe.Since the cuisine of a country is strongly influenced by its climate, however, the term is of limited usefulness....
, used in soups and stews. Parsley grows best between 72 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (23 to 30 degrees Celsius).

Though it looks similar to parsnip
Parsnip

The parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot. Parsnips resemble carrots, but are paler than most of them and have a stronger flavor. Like carrots, parsnips are native to Eurasia and have been eaten there since ancient times....
it tastes quite different. Parsnips are among the closest relatives of parsley in the umbellifer family of herbs. The similarity of the names is a coincidence, parsnip meaning "forked turnip", it is not related to real turnips.

Cultivation
Parsley's germination
Germination

Germination is the process whereby growth emerges from a period of dormancy. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an flowering plant or gymnosperm....
is notoriously difficult." Germination is inconsistent and may require 3-6 weeks.

Furanocoumarin
Furanocoumarin

Furanocoumarins, or furocoumarins, are a class of organic compound produced by a variety of plants. They are biosynthesized partly through the phenylpropanoid pathway and the mevalonate pathway, which is biosynthesized by a coupling of DMAPP and 4-hydroxycoumarin ....
s in parsley's seed coat may be responsible for parsley's problematic germination. These compounds may inhibit the germination of other seeds, allowing parsley to compete
Competition (biology)

Competition can be defined as an Biological interaction between organisms or species, in which the fitness of one is lowered by the presence of another....
with nearby plants. However, parsley itself may be affected by the furanocoumarins. Soaking parsley seeds overnight before sowing
Sowing

Sowing is the process of planting seeds.However, before sowing, good quality seeds should be selected to produce a high yield....
shortens the germination period.

Parsley grows well in deep pots, which helps accommodate the long taproot
Taproot

A plant's taproot is a somewhat straight tapering root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally....
. Parsley grown indoors requires at least five hours of sunlight a day.

Companion plant
Parsley is widely used as a companion plant in gardens. Like many other umbellifers, it attracts predatory insects, including wasp
Parasitic wasp

The term Parasitoid wasp refers to a large evolutionary grade of hymenopteran Superfamily, mainly in the Apocrita. They are primarily parasitoids of other animals, mostly other arthropods....
s and predatory flies to gardens, which then tend to protect plants nearby. For example, they are especially useful for protecting tomato
Tomato

The Tomato is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are its close cousins Nicotiana, potatoes, aubergine , chilli peppers, and the poisonous Atropa belladonna....
plants as the wasps that kill tomato hornworm
Tomato hornworm

The Five-Spotted Hawkmoth is a brown and gray hawk moth of the Sphingidae family. The caterpillar is often referred to as the tomato hornworm and can be a major pest in gardens....
s also eat nectar from parsley. While parsley is biennial
Biennial plant

A biennial plant is a flowering plant that takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle. In the first year the plant grows leaves, stems, and roots , then it enters a period of dormancy over the colder months....
, not blooming until its second year, even in its first year it is reputed to help cover up the strong scent of the tomato plant, reducing pest attraction.

Usage

Culinary use
In Central and Eastern Europe and in West Asia, many dishes are served with fresh green chopped parsley sprinkled on top. Green parsley is often used as a garnish. The fresh flavor of the green parsley goes extremely well with potato dishes (french fries
French fries

French fries , chips , fries, or French-fried potatoes are thin strips of potato that have been deep-frying. A distinction is sometimes made between fries and chips; whereby North Americans sometimes refer to any elongated pieces of fried potatoes as fries, while in the UK, long slices of potatoes are sometimes called '...
, boiled buttered potatoes or mashed potato
Mashed potato

Mashed Potato is a common way of serving potato in many countries. It is made by mashing boiled potatoes with a potato ricer, fork or similar device....
), with rice dishes (risotto
Risotto

Risotto is a rich and creamy, traditional Italy rice dish. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.Its origins are in North Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont , Western Lombardy, and the Veneto , where rice paddies are abundant....
or pilaf
Pilaf

Pilaf, also called polao, pilau, or pulao, is a dish in which a grain, such as rice or cracked wheat, is browned in oil, and then cooked in a seasoned broth....
), with fish, fried chicken, lamb or goose, steaks, meat or vegetable stews (like Beef Bourguignon
Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon is a well-known, traditional French cuisine. It is essentially a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine and beef broth, generally flavoured with garlic, onions, carrots, and a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions and mushrooms....
, Goulash
Goulash

Goulash is a dish, originally from Cuisine of Hungary, a stew or a soup, usually made of beef, red onions, vegetables, spices and ground paprika powder....
or Chicken paprikash). In Southern and Central Europe, parsley is part of bouquet garni
Bouquet garni

The bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs usually tied together with string and mainly used to prepare soup, stock , and various stews. The bouquet is boiled with the other ingredients, but is removed prior to consumption....
, a bundle of fresh herbs used to flavor stocks
Stock (food)

Stock is a flavoured liquid. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces. Stock is prepared by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following:...
, soups, and sauces. Freshly chopped green parsley is used as a topping for soups like chicken soup
Chicken soup

Chicken soup is a soup made by boiling chicken parts and/or bones in water, with various vegetables and flavorings. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, often served with small pieces of chicken or vegetables, or with noodles or dumplings, or grains such as rice and barley....
, green salads or salads like Salade Olivier, on open sandwich
Sandwich

A sandwich is a food item made of one or more slices of bread with one or more layers of a filling. The bread can be used as is, or it can be coated with butter, vegetable oil, mustard or other condiments to enhance flavour and texture....
es with cold cuts or pâté
Pâté

P?t? is a mixture of minced meat and fat in the form of spreadable paste, generally made from a finely ground or chunky mixture of meats and liver, and often with additional fat, vegetables, herbs, spices or wine....
s. Parsley is a key ingredient in several West Asian
Southwest Asia

Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia is the southwestern subregion of Asia. The term West Asia is sometimes used in the United Nations subregion geoscheme and in writings about the archeology and the late prehistory of the region....
salads, e.g., tabbouleh (the national dish
National dish

A national dish is a recipe, food or a drink that represents a particular country, nation or region. It is usually something that is naturally made or popular in that country....
of Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
). Persillade
Persillade

Persillade is the culinary term for a chopped mixture of garlic and parsley, usually in equal parts by volume. The root of the word is persil, the French word for parsley....
is mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley in the French cuisine. Gremolata
Gremolata

Gremolata is a chopped herb condiment typically made of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest. It is a traditional accompaniment to the Italy braised veal shank dish, "Ossobuco"....
is a traditional accompaniment to the Italian veal stew, Ossobuco alla milanese, a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.

In addition, the consumption of parsley is thought to contribute to sweet smelling breath.

Root parsley is very common in Central and Eastern European cuisines, where it is used as soup vegetable in many soups and in most meat or vegetable stews and casserole
Casserole

A casserole, from the French language for "saucepan," is a large, deep pot or dish used both in the oven and as a serving dish. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a dish....
s.

Health risks

Parsley should not be consumed as a drug or supplement by pregnant women. Parsley as an oil, root, leaf, or seed could lead to uterine stimulation and preterm labor.
Parsley is high (1.70% by mass, ) in oxalic acid
Oxalic acid

Oxalic acid is the chemical compound with the chemical formula H2C2O4. This dicarboxylic acid is better described with the formula HOOCCOOH....
, a compound involved in the formation of kidney stone
Kidney stone

Kidney stones, also called renal Calculus , are solid concretions of dissolved dietary mineral in urine; calculi typically form inside the kidneys or bladder....
s and nutrient deficiencies.
Parsley oil contains furanocoumarins and psoralens which leads to extreme photosensitivity
Photosensitivity

Photosensitivity is the amount to which an object reacts upon receiving photons, especially visible light....
if used orally.

Produce code
The produce code for parsley is 4899, or 4900.

See also

List of culinary herbs and spices
List of culinary vegetables
List of plants with edible leaves
List of plants with edible leaves

These are plants whose leaves are known to have been eaten by humans, typically as leaf vegetables or herbs.Inclusion on this list does not imply safety....
Parsley Massacre
Parsley Massacre

In October 1937, Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Le?nidas Trujillo Molina ordered the execution of the Haitian population living within the borderlands with Haiti....

External links

by Floyd Maxwell

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