Family Apiaceae

This perennial plant has roots that grow in clusters, unlike other family members with a single taproot. The roots, about the size of a skinny, small carrot, are gray on the outside concealing white flesh. The flavor resembles celery root but sweeter. Others describe the flavor as a cross between a carrot and a parsnip, with a subtle nutty flavor. Although the roots can be eaten raw or cooked, they are traditionally simmered in soups and stews. The plant is native to China and has been eaten in China and Japan for centuries. According to nineteenth-century French-born botanist Alphonse de Candolle, the cultivation of skirret spread westward from Siberia to Russia and then to Germany. Several references to skirret appear in British cookery books from the eighteenth century, but the root appears to have disappeared by the beginning of the nineteenth century. Sium cicutaefolium, a close relative, is found in North America with the common name water parsnip. While there is renewed interest in this root, at this point it is not being grown commercially.