Parsnips

History

Parsnips occupied the culinary niche that potatoes would later claim, serving as Europe's primary starchy root vegetable for nearly two millennia before the New World tuber arrived. Wild parsnips are native to Eurasia, and cultivation likely began in the Mediterranean region around 2,000 years ago, though the historical record is confused by ancient writers using the same word "pastinaca" for both parsnips and carrots. The Roman Emperor Tiberius, ruling from 14-37 CE, was so fond of parsnips that he demanded shipments from the Germanic frontier along the Rhine, where the cold winters produced the sweetest roots—ancient Romans understood what gardeners know today about frost converting starches to sugars. Medieval Europeans prized parsnips as a sweetener before sugar became affordable; parsnip wine was a common beverage, and parsnip puddings graced feast tables. The vegetable's importance extended to folk medicine and superstition: parsnips were thought to cure snakebites, ease childbirth, and increase male vigor. Wild parsnip spread to North America with European colonists and now grows invasively along roadsides, presenting a modern hazard—its sap causes severe burns when exposed to sunlight, a condition called phytophotodermatitis. The cultivated garden parsnip poses no such danger but requires patience: with 100-130 days to maturity, parsnips are among the longest-season vegetables, rewarding gardeners who can wait. The tradition of leaving parsnips in the ground through winter, harvesting after hard frosts, produces an almost honeyed sweetness as starches convert to sugars. British cuisine particularly embraced parsnips—roasted alongside the Sunday joint, mashed with butter, or made into crisps. Today's food revival has chefs rediscovering parsnip's unique sweet, nutty flavor, featuring it in soups, gratins, and even desserts like parsnip cake.