The next time you look at a bunch of parsley, imagine it wearing the leafy green equivalent of a super-hero cape.
Did you know that it’s packed with anti-inflammatory properties? That it’s a superb source of bone-building vitamin K? And that’s just the highlights reel. It’s also super affordable, full of flavour and gives a brilliant green to everything from sauces (such as the pictured below) and soups to Persian omelettes and “English pesto”.
“We are so used to thinking of parsley as a garnish that we forget it is a nutrient-dense leafy green! It’s usually super affordable, and I love the bright and zippy flavour as a salad green or in a green smoothie,” says Desiree Nielsen, host of SBS Food’s , who is also a dietician.
Tuna and green olive hand pies with fennel and parsley salsa Source: Benito Martin
“Parsley contains a day’s worth of bone-building vitamin K in just two tablespoons; it also supports lower blood pressure with naturally occurring nitrates. It’s packed with anti-inflammatory phytochemicals too, such as flavonoids that support the immune system,” she tells SBS Food.
She’s not the only one who loves this vibrant green.
Ross Onley-Zerkel, who runs , a food coaching business, sings its praises not only for the health benefits and flavour, but because it’s such an easy ingredient to use.
“I love parsley! I love how it’s so easy going. Grow or buy a bunch, wash, pat dry and chop the leaves with the upper stalks. Curly, or Italian or flat leaves, it doesn’t matter, or even mix them,” he says. “And I’m able to keep it in the fridge for a week!”
Onley-Zerkel, who is studying nutrition so he can better help members of the deaf community understand more about food and how it can help people lead healthy lives, likes using it in smoothies, on any dish that could benefit from a helping of herbs, or as a balancing garnish. “Parsley has antioxidants, has iron, folate, vitamin A, lots of vitamin C and K. Sometimes when I have a dish that’s mainly in a variety of colours other than green, I toss parsley all over it to balance it,” he says.
The seeds, stems, roots and leaves of parsley (aka Petroselinum crispum – a suitably impressive Latin name for this high achiever, which is thought to have originated in Sardinia) .
And while most of us mainly use the leaves and stems of flat-leaf (also called Italian or continental) and curly varieties, there’s also a variant that can be grown for its roots (often known as Hamburg or turnip-root parsley).
Generally, flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavour than its flat-leaf relation, but a lot depends on growing conditions.
Flat-leaf and curly parsley Source: Pintando la Luz and Markus Spiske via Unsplash
Leading Australian herb and mesclun salad growers , which sells 25,000 to 30,000 bunches of parsley a week, grows both continental and curly parsley. So, which is the most popular of the two?
“Continental parsley is still the second biggest seller in herbs behind coriander,” says Coolibah Herbs’ General Manager Farms, Satish Chand. Chand says parsley has always been particularly popular with Australia’s Greek and French populations, but the company now sees it increasingly being used in Asian dishes, too, especially soups.
“There are also a lot of benefits of parsley and people have realised that it is a good source of a healthy diet,” he says.
Chand says he sees it used a lot in sauces, soups and garnishes, and also points to its use in English pesto (leading English cookery teacher and author Prue Leith’s in her recipe for this take on the Italian classic is to use the most of the stalks, since they have lots of flavour, but to make sure they are chopped very finely).
Satish Chand of Coolibah Herbs Source: AUSVEG
Here at SBS Food, sauces, garnishes and pestos are just the start of the many ways we love to use parsley.
How about this vibrant from ?
Rick Stein’s ? 
Or this ? 
In The Urban Vegetarian, Nielsen uses parsley in her and , both made with her version of the vibrant North-African paste; and in a . “Parsley’s a seriously underrated herb. I don’t know who decided to relegate it to just a garnish but if you know him, let me know and I’ll beat him with a carrot," she jokes in the show as she makes her parsley and wine sauce. “It has such a vibrant green flavour that really just kind of lifts dishes.”
Food Safari's Persian omelette (kuku sabzi) Source: Sharyn Cairns
Green rice with garlic, parsley, clams and prawns (arroz verde) Source: BBC Books / James Murphy
Kale, herb and feta spelt bread, by Peter Georgakopoulos, of Souvlaki For The Soul Source: Peter Georgakopoulos
She also uses her favourite herb to whip up a parsley classic, , and points out how adaptable the Mediterranean bulgur and herb salad is. “Such a simple and such a flavourful salad … It's an awesome lunch but I actually like going Mediterranean style and eating it for breakfast sometimes too. The salad's pretty adaptable. If you want more veggies you can add more veggies. If you don't do wheat, quinoa works, millet, and my favourite way: cauliflower rice.”
Of course, while we love its versatility, there's no denying it is also a superb garnish.
You can always hedge your bets - how about this , which has a herb and spinach pesto stirred into each bowl, and looks extra inviting with a few of those familiar leaves on top.
Join Desiree Nielsen in The Urban Vegetarian, with double episodes airing Mondays at 7.30pm on SBS Food (Channel 33).
Source: Nikki To
