Parsley Family

The parsleys (Apiaceae) provide many of the most beloved culinary herbs—nearly thirty species. A few species are poisonous (such as hemlock, Conium maculatum), but many are used in the kitchen, either as vegetables (carrots, celeriac, celery, fennel bulbs, and parsnips) or as seasonings.

Among those parsley family members most utilized in the United States are:

• The seeds of anise (Pimpinella anisum) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), used whenever a strong licorice flavor is needed—although licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a member of the unrelated pea family (Leguminoseae).

• Caraway (Carum carvi) seeds are used in dishes originally from central Europe and Scandinavia: rye breads and cabbage dishes, such as coleslaws and sauerkraut.

• Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), once grown exclusively for its sweetly aromatic seeds, is now used more for its foliage—which is known as cilantro.

• Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) seeds have a warm musky scent that is essential to Tex-Mex, Middle Eastern, and Indian cookery.

• Dill (Anethum graveolens) is grown from different cultivars, depending on whether the foliage or seeds are desired.

• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), when grown for its foliage, is one of two cultivars (curly or flat-leaf “Neapolitanum”). Parsley root is a cultivar: P. crispum var. tuberosum.