Parsley Root, Root Parsley

Also Hamburg parsley, turnip-rooted parsley, parsnip-rooted parsley, and others (below)

Parsley root, a native of Europe, has long scented the cooking of Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, and Russia—to name just a few countries. It has also been deemed the significant indicator of real Jewish chicken soup—at least in the opinion of some strong-minded types. Bert Greene, a beloved food writer, once chided me for neglecting to include “petoushka” among the names for root parsley: “Anyone who grew up in New York [he did; I did] should know that’s its real name and its real purpose in life is chicken soup,” he harumphed.