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In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

Common wisdom, for what it's worth, is that potatoes became a staple
because they produced a higher yield per acre then other crops.

I'm mildly curious as to when parsnips (as opposed to carrots,
beetroots, turnips and swedes) were a staple, and as to what the
advantages of parsnips are.

I believe that the evidence for the former is scant, but the answer
to the second is a higher calorific content and less liable to rot
over winter.


Good job potatoes came in, I dislike parsnips. I will eat them to be polite
if they are offered but otherwise they will never be on my menu.
I cooked them for my German friend when she was staying with me. She'd
never seen them, let alone eaten them and she loved them, so she went home
with a packet of parsnip seeds.
Tina