If it sounds disgusting, don’t knock it until you try it. Outside of food, parsnips can be made into a wine. Here’s an example of creamy mashed parsnips instead of using a traditional potato. Parsnips are very similar to carrots and potatoes and can be a substitute for these two in certain dishes. When used in stews, soups, and other liquid-based food, the parsnips provide a rich flavor and its starch can be used to thicken the dish. Like carrots, it can be eaten raw, but cooking it through many different ways releases its sweet flavors. Parsnips harvested and used for food consumption have a sweeter taste. For a while it served as the main source of starch until it was replaced by potatoes, which were much easier to cultivate. This traces back to the French colonists that settled in Canada as well as the British in the Thirteen Colonies. Parsnips were brought to North America during the mid-19 th century. In China, Chinese parsnips were an ingredient for herbal medicines. Instead, it was fed to pigs that were used to make Parma ham. It was believed that parsnips were an aphrodisiac, but it wasn’t a staple in Roman (and later Italian) cuisine. Historical evidence suggests that the Romans had grown it during their time and was used as a natural sweetener before cane sugar and beet sugar were discovered. While parsnips are available in almost everywhere in the world, they were originally from Eurasia. Throughout history, the parsnip has often been confused with the similar-looking carrot. When it “hibernates” during the winter frosts, its flavor changes into something sweeter. Parsnips are a root crop, meaning it is buried underground. To survive the winter, it enters a period of dormancy while it waits out the cold. It is a biennial plant, which means it takes two years to grow and die. Image from Getty “parsnips GettyImages” 24 February 2013, image In scientific terms, a parsnip is known as the Pastinaca sativa. At first glance, it may look like a pale carrot with a parsley-filled top, and for a good reason: parsnips, carrots, and parsley belong to the Apiaceae family. And its nutritional value also cannot be ignored.Ī parsnip is a type of root vegetable. With very little people knowing a lot about parsnips, though, its flavor in vegan, vegetarian, or meat-based dishes is often overlooked. Contrary to popular belief, parsnips and turnips are two separate vegetables and parsnips are not the result of a parsley and turnip cross-breed. One of the less popular vegetables on the market and for kids, the parsnip is actually one of the most underrated vegetables in terms of flavor and health benefits.