So why bother with parsley?
It’s a bitter herb that not only helps digestion, but makes almost any savory dish taste better.
Pictured is young flat-leaf Italian parsley growing in our garden.
Elise Bauer
Believe me, I get it.
Why would you eat that?
And all these recipes that call for one measly tablespoon of chopped parsley?
Elise Bauer
What’s the point?
Why buy a whole bunch just for one tablespoon?
Here’s the deal.
It adds balance to savory dishes the way that a little lemon juice can make something just taste better.
Parsley is a mild “bitter”.
Salty and sweet are obvious.
Sour you get from acid like lemon juice or vinegar.Umamihas to do with the savory taste of protein.
Bitter you get from citrus zest, bitter greens like kale, mustard greens, arugula, and parsley.
Well balanced dishes stimulate all or most of these taste receptors.
Almost every savory dish tastes better with a little chopped parsley either cooked in or sprinkled over the top.
(By the way, flat-leaf Italian parsley works better for cooking than the curly parsley.
Don’t ask me why, it just does.)
The best thing about growing parsley plants?
Bugs and slugs typically stay away from them.
They are biennials, so in mild climates, a plant will live for two years.
The plants over-winter well, at least here in California.
The frost just seems to make them happy.
Parsley is also good for digestion.
As with other bitter herbs, parsley stimulates appetite and your digestive tract.
What to do if you truly have too much parsley hanging around?
Or you could just makeparsley pesto, and serve it over pasta.
