THE KITCHEN GARDENER Parsley

This fragrant Mediterranean plant is so much more than a garnish

- SIMON RICKARD.

Parsley’s scientific name tells us something about its affiliations, and where it grows in nature. Petroselinum is a Latinised Greek word, meaning “rock celery”. In the wild, parsley grows in rocky places on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in an arc from Portugal and Spain in the west, south to Morocco and Algeria, then curving around up through Israel, Lebanon to Turkey, Greece and Italy.

These countries are the heartland of parsley appreciation. The further north one travels in Europe, the more parsley is considered a “herb”; a flavouring agent used in small quantities. It’s here we see the pretty curly parsley come to the fore.