Leijpark013

@leijpark013 · 10 Nov 2021

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Leijpark 013 Parsnip

#leijpark013   #parsnip

Leijpark 013
Published by Thierry P. Dinjens · 3 hours ·
In the Leijpark, all kinds of plants grow and some of them do not expect one-two-three, because we are used to seeing these plants at the greengrocer. Such a plant is a white root, which becomes sweeter when frost has passed over it and which we usually process in stews and hutspot: the Parsnip.
The Romans have already grown parsnips and brought the plant here as well. That was a good move, because all of a sudden we had a starch-packed plant. The potato did not come our way until the 17th century, and before it was decided to extract sugar from sugar beet in the 18th century, the Parsnip was an important ingredient to sweeten food. Parsnip tastes like radish and is actually printed off the scene by the arrival of the potato. We now call her a forgotten vegetable, but the Parsnip is on an advance. No longer is it simply a verge flower with big screens of yellow flowers, but she finds her way to the kitchen again. One cause is our eating behavior. Nowadays, there are many people who want to lose weight, but not everyone feels called to run with a sweatband to run outside the pleurisy. Adopting a different diet is the logical step to follow. Parsnip is full of dietary fiber and takes a long time to digest it. We're fast 'full' and that's not how we eat too much. Fortunately for us, Parsnip is also full of vitamins and minerals, so it's not only useful for our tendency to overconsumption, but also a very healthy vegetable. Pretty right?
The word 'parsnip' comes from the Latin verb 'pastinare' which means 'spundownthe ground'. And the root does, of course. Speaking of the Romans: They were so fond of the Parsnip that, if they imposed taxes on the peoples they had conquered (for example, the Celts) they had to pay this tax in parsnips in part. That was of course a breath of fresh air for the Celts; Parsnip is easy to grow. It used to be a winter vegetable, but nowadays you can get the Parsnip all year round.
Parsnip can be found in our history books as the protagonist of the “Leidens Disaster”. You may remember: Leiden was occupied by the Spaniards and when virtually everyone was near starvation, the Water giants came out and shared herring and white bread. When the Spanish flew, a little boy found a cooking pot in their abandoned camp full of hutspot, mainly consisting of Parsnip, onions, meat and carrots. In honor of this event, hutspot will still be eaten in Leiden on 3 October.
Parsnip is an important source of nectar for bees in the Leijpark. One of the most beautiful butterflies we know here, the Queen Page, also loves the flowers of the Parsnip. All in all an important plant, with ups and downs over the years. From liberator to animal feed, from forgotten vegetables to superfood. The time frame always determines our view of our habitat. All these time images can be found or summoned in the Leijpark. What's once forgotten comes to life there.