Parsley is a green leafy vegetable that is commonly and popularly used as a spice, herb, and garnish to every applicable dishes. Probably, we can all agree that it has become one of the most favorite herbs that every restaurant or household has, due to few obvious reasons – makes the dish more appealing, easy to find, price friendly, and its unique taste that can add to the dish flavor.
However, if some people can eat all of what’s prepared on their plate, some people set aside certain foods on their plate because of its taste – like parsley. Parsley has a distinctive taste just like other herbs and spices, but the difference is, parsley is more frequently used as a garnish so it comes to its natural sizes and not as powdered or ground form. So, “what does parsley taste like?” – find out as we roll that question on this article!
Parsley and Its Uses
Parsley is known to be native to some countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient people learned to use it as a garnish and as a spice for different types of food. Currently, parsley is famous in American, European, Middle Eastern, and some parts of Asian cuisines. They usually use it as a garnish and improve the flavor of the dish, depending on its type. Below, are some of the types and parsley uses that are currently in trend:
Fresh Parsley
Apparently, this type is more commonly used to add aesthetic to the dish but it can always be an option to add as a major flavoring. This can be seen usually on pasta, dressings, and course meals. You can sprinkle it as is on top or chop it into bits.
Dried Parsley
This type typically comes in small bottle jar as powdered or flake, usually chopped with its stem off to add flavor and color to dish. This is used usually to incorporate on dishes like salad dressings, soups, vegetables, and salads.
What Does Parsley Look Like?
Oftentimes, parsley is confused with other herbs like cilantro because of how they similarly look at one point. To tell you what, they are completely different herbs. Worry no more because you are about to find out that exactly what does parsley looks like, without directly looking at the sticker label.
Parsley has several leaf serrations but with more sharp and pointy ones. Also, they are darker greens compared to other similar looking herbs. They also have a broad but short size of the leaf. Do not be confused also with the other type of parsley – curly leaf. Obviously, from its name, the leaf is curly but sharp and edgy serrations will still be noticed upon comparing to other herbs like cilantro.
What Does Parsley Taste Like?
What does it taste like? Does parsley taste like cilantro? Not just by its appearance, but parsley is also confused by taste and is commonly being mistaken as cilantro. So, what are the difference? How you can tell by taste if it’s parsley or cilantro?
Cilantro has a strong aroma that more likely represents a citrus flavor. Thus, it tastes bolder, sharper, and more distinctive to parsley. On the other hand, parsley has a weaker aroma so does its flavor. Its taste is milder and somewhat bitter when you compare it to cilantro.
To sum it up, parsley tastes a little less sharp, a little bit bitter, and fairly flat, unlike the other herbs that release a strong aroma and bold flavors. Hence, it could be the one reason why parsley is often more used than cilantro.
Don’t Like Parsley? Here’s the Parsley Substitute!
We understand that some people are born as picky. So, we rolled out some alternative herbs that you can use instead of parsley.
- Cilantro – you should expect that this should come first on the list since this herb is often interchanged and confused with parsley. With that, why not just use cilantro instead? This gives a more citrusy flavor and strong aroma than parsley so you may want to use a lesser amount than how you usually put with parsley.
- Chervil – more used in French cuisine, but this one is also a great alternative to parsley because of its refined flavor and subtle essence this can give off to your dish. This has a similar appearance too with parsley. Perfect, isn’t it?
- Basil – If you are looking to finish your dish with vibrant color when you don’t like parsley, you can think about basil. This provides almost the same vibrant parsley, only with its big leaves and different aroma, that goes usually to top sauces; but who says you can’t chop or slice it to bits to sprinkle it on top?
- Celery – This specific herb is related to parsley’s family. Hence, if you are looking for an alternative, chop this herb’s leaves into bits to copy the parsley’s appearance and use it as a garnish. It would look almost the same as parsley!
- Oregano – You might not have thought about this specific herb as a substitute for parsley, but yes, this one can work. We all know that oregano has a stronger smell and a slightly astringent taste compared to parsley. So, make sure to use a lesser amount so it would not overpower the total relish of your dish.
Conclusion
Parsley has become one of the most known herbs and spices in its genre – from its types and uses available alternatives and abundance in every part of the world. Indeed, parsley is one of the greatest herbs that we can find in our kitchen. You can never go wrong with parsley; whether to garnish it as is, or chop it into bits and sprinkle it on top of your dish. You will never run out of ideas to use it. All it takes is just a little creativity!
Hopefully, this article has help you answered the question – “what does parsley taste like?”, but to sum it all, this herb has flat, a little bitter, and a little sharp altogether. Hence, do not be confused with other similar looking herbs when buying parsley at your favorite grocery markets. Thinking about making a delicious dish for dinner tonight? Well, now is your cue, and start filling up your carts with your recipe. Do not forget to garnish it with parsley!
