Why isn't my personally favorite tasting vegetable (parsnips) more popular with

1. 69

   connorjposted 9 years ago

   Why isn't my personally favorite tasting vegetable (parsnips) more popular with everyone?
   
   The parsnip ( Pastinaca sativa) is my favorite tasting of all vegetables. I enjoy them raw or cooked or for that matter burned to a crisp on our grill. Yet it is one of the least favorite vegetables and can be difficult to find in many stores. It is a root quite similar to carrot; yet it tastes significantly different ( in my opinion it tastes better than carrot). It is high in vitamins and antioxidants too; thus, it is important for our diet. It is ancient and was used as a sweetener before sugar cane...
   
   
   
   
   

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2. 60

   Robert the Bruceposted 9 years ago

   I've never had parsnips in any form. I've never seen them at gatherings or any other place that food is present. Maybe they just never caught on with people? Maybe other vegetables haven taken precedence?
   
   I enjoy food...the simpler the better for me. Following this principle I try to eat plenty of vegetables and I've grown quite a taste for them. In fact I just had turnips for the first time this week. Maybe now I'll have to try parsnips...

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      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Indeed you must they are significant in taste, sweetness and nutrition... With regards to turnips; my God, man The Bruce didn't have potatoes to dine on his main "veggie" would indeed be turnips!

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   Arco Hess Designsposted 9 years ago

   I think it's mostly due to parsnips being a very regional crop. They can't be grown just anywhere. They are very picky about the soil and temperature. This, of course, means they aren't even available in most groceries.

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      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I appreciate your answer; however, they can indeed be grown in most countries especially in a prepared soil not unlike carrots...

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   lisavollrathposted 9 years ago

   I think in the push to "eat the rainbow", the parsnip is a vegetable that has been overlooked, because it's white. Many people who follow a healthy diet snub white foods, not realizing they're omitting some yummy and healthy selections.
   
   I'm an herbivore, so I like my root vegetables. Parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas show up on my plate regularly in cooler months, when the fresh local produce varieties dwindle.
   
   I think all it will take for these vegetables to become popular again is for some celebrity chef with a cooking show to talk them up.

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      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I hope you are indeed correct. It is such a wonderful and helpful root veggie.

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   bethperryposted 9 years ago

   I never liked parsnips because they leave a nasty aftertaste in my mouth, one that lasts for a long while. This is why I say Yuck! to them.

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      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      OMG, you break my heart, parsnips taste amazing. Say it ain't so...

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It is I love carrots, but they do it slightly so I don't eat a lot at any given time.

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   Zelkiiroposted 9 years ago

   If they made vegetables taste like something other than solidified death (like, say, anything else from any other food group), you can bet they'd be more popular.
   
   Though to be honest, can't say I've ever had parsnips. But considering the track record its peers have, I'm not exactly in any hurry to try.

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   1. 69

      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It is an amazing and significantly tasteful veggie. You really should try it...

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   Hendrikaposted 9 years ago

   I love them. In South Africa they are too expensive. I wish more people will realize how tasty they are and start eating them because then more farmers will plant them and they should become more affordable.

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      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes we need to increase the demand so the supply goes way up!

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   StoneCircleposted 9 years ago

   Being from the New England area, parsnips are just a way of life. Most old New England ookbooks require a barrel full of parsnips for the winter season recipes. Personally, I love them baked with sea salt and olive oil.

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      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well that may explain it then; "me fadder, grandfadder, and great grandfadder" are all from "Down East" and we have a distant relative from the May Flower...

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