Small history

Etymology
From the Latin "napus"

Description
It is the parsnip's root, resembling an ivory-coloured carrot, that is eaten. Parsnips were grown by the ancient Romans, though Pliny complained that it was impossible to attenuate their strong flavour. According to Pliny, Parsnips were held in such repute by the Emperor Tiberius that he had them annually brought to Rome from the banks of the Rhine.

Europeans brought the parsnip to the United States in the early 1600s but this creamy-white root has remained an underappreciated vegetable at best.

Parsnips are typically an autumn and winter vegetable and are not usually eaten until after they have been exposed to frost, when they become sweeter. Tournefort wrote in The Compleat Herbal in 1730 that parsnips "are not so good in any respect, till they have been first nipt with Cold. It is likewise pretty common of late to eat them with salt-fish mixed with hard-boiled eggs and butter… and much the wholesomer if you eat [them] with mustard."

Botanical File
The parsnip has a tough tapering beigish-white root. Its stem can reach 60 cm or more in length and produces leaf stalks that bear several pairs of leaflets. The plant bears yellow umbelliferous flowers.

Medicinal File
The seeds produce an oil that was traditionally used to cure fever.

The root is a diuretic and was used to treat stomach ailments, jaundice and kidney stones.

Nutritional values per 100 g
Protein: 1.2g, Fat: 0.3g; Carbohydrate: 17g; Calories: 74
Contain small amounts of iron, vitamin C (30 g) B1 and PP.

Buying tips
Choose small to moderate parsnips, well-formed, smooth, firm and free from serious blemishes or decay.
Best buy: The first frost of the year converts the parsnip's starch to sugar and gives it a pleasantly sweet flavor.

Avoid Parsnips with large, coarse roots which will have woody, fibrous, pithy centers
Avoid also badly wilted and flabby roots which will be tough when cooked.

Storing
Parsnips have nearly the same storage requirements as topped carrots. They can be stored in the crisper of the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
As they age, parsnips dry out and soften.

Cooking tips
Parsnips can be roasted, cooked in butter, added to stews and braises, used in soups, or simply boiled and mashed. Traditionally they have often been used to make beer and wine. Parsnips can even be used in dessert recipes such as "parsnip pie," in which they are combined with sugar and spices in a pastry crust.

• Use like carrots
• Season with sugar, curry powder...

Suggestions
Emeril Lagasse suggests a Cream of Parsnip Soup with Crab Meat
Peel strips of parsnip with a vegetable peeler. Fry peeled parsnips in vegetable oil. Mound the parsnip strips in the center of a bowl of Cream of Parsnip Soup

Parsnip chips: Thinly slice each parsnip lengthwise with a vegetable peeler; deep-fry until golden.

Worldwide Gourmet
Ireland - Parsnip and Apple Soup seasoned with garlic, cumin, curry powder, coriander and cardamom. The Irish also make a beer by boiling the roots with water and hops.

Holland - Parsnips are used in soups