Parsley

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a bright green, biennial herb that is very common in Middle Eastern, European, and American cooking. It is used for its leaf in much the same way as coriander, although it has a milder flavor.

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Two forms of parsley are used as herbs: curly leaf and Italian or flat leaf. 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 in the flat-leaved cultivars.

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One of the compounds of the essential oil is apiol.

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Another type of parsley is grown as a root vegetable.

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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. Parsley is essential to several West Asian salads, e.g., tabbouleh which is the national dish of Lebanon. In Southern and Central Europe, parsley is part of bouquet garni, a bundle of fresh herbs used to flavor stocks, soups and sauces.

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Parsley's value as a breath-freshener come from its high concentration of chlorophyll. Adam Blackman, a nutritionist, claims Parsley enhances mental alertness, and affects the immune system.

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Biennial: Biennial is a term referring to a period of two years, much in the same way refers to 100 years. If an event occurs every two years, it can be said to occur biennially. This is commonly used in reference to legislative agendas in U.S. states (often as biennium), as many representatives are elected ...

Herb: An herb (pronounced "hurb" in Commonwealth English and "urb" in American English) is a plant grown for culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual value. The green, leafy part of the plant is typically used. General usage differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. A medicinal he...

Middle Eastern: REDIRECTMiddle East...

Parsley related Images and Photos (experimental)

Parsley	Cow Parsley	Italian Parsley	Vintage Herbs Parsley
Close-Up of Spaghetti with Clams and Parsley Sauce	A Lady with a Parasol in a Meadow with Cow Parsley 1881