Petroselinum crispum is native to the Mediterranean but is commonly cultivated throughout temperate climates worldwide. Parsley leaf has been incorporated into culinary dishes for hundreds of years, combining well with most foods and masking strong flavors such as garlic. This well-known spice has also been utilized for its beneficial properties as parsley tea within Ayurvedic medicine and traditional European herbalism.
While all of us know parsley as a condiment and garnish, most of us never consume its most flavorful part of the root. Parsley has been an important food for at least 3,000 years. Parsley is thought to have originated in Sardinia, or the surrounding area, and to have spread across Europe by the 15th century. There are a great many myths and folktales concerning parsley.