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Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple?
Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? -- Chris |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
Chris wrote:
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple? Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? Over what period? "Replaced" as reflected in which statistics? Chris -- Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh. |
Quote:
Wikipedia says "Until the potato arrived from the New World, its place in dishes was occupied by the parsnip and other root vegetables such as the turnip." Unfortunately it does not source this comment. In fact practically nothing in the Wiki article on the parsnip is sourced. But note, it does not say that parsnip was a staple, but rather that root vegetables in general took the place that potatoes have today. I would dispute your assertion that parsnips have all the advantages. Rather potatoes have all the advantages (except possibly taste, though I would say a dislike of parsnips is a lot more common than a dislike of potatoes). My understanding is that the yield of potatoes is larger than the yield of other route vegetables. Also being more starchy than other root vegetables you can grow in cool climates, they are more nutritious - typical calorific values per 100g from Wikipedia are 55 for parsnip but potato is 77Cal, which is quite a lot more. So I would suggest potatoes became the major root vegetable in temperate climates because both the yield and nutritional value is typically substantially higher. That is why Irish people living on small pieces of land grew little but potatoes, and hence starved when the blight hit, because they were mainly growing just one variety, the Lumper. |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
On 05/10/2010 13:00, Janet wrote:
In ], ] says... Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple? Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? Plant one parsnip seed and you get one parsnip plant. Plant one seed potato and you get a big bucket of potatoes. Plant one parsnip seed and wait and wait and wait and get one parsnip seedling and 50 weed seedlings swamping it. I like parsnips but find them a pain to grow. The only semi-reliable way I've found is to germinate and grow them first in pots in potting compost to the size of seedlings and transplant them out. Unfortunately this leads but badly forked parsnips, but better than none. They are nice roasted though, so worth growing. -- David in Normandy. To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the subject line, or it will be automatically deleted by a filter and not reach my inbox. |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
In message ,
Janet writes In article ], ] says... Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple? Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? Plant one parsnip seed and you get one parsnip plant. Plant one seed potato and you get a big bucket of potatoes. Janet 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. -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
On Tue, 5 Oct 2010 David in Normandy wrote:
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple? Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? Plant one parsnip seed and wait and wait and wait and get one parsnip seedling and 50 weed seedlings swamping it. I like parsnips but find them a pain to grow. The only semi-reliable way I've found is to germinate and grow them first in pots in potting compost to the size of seedlings and transplant them out. Unfortunately this leads but badly forked parsnips, but better than none. They are nice roasted though, so worth growing. Incidentally, David, for the first time a week ago I saw parsnips for sale in a French supermarket (Leclerc, I think it was). They were not as large as those we can buy in Britain but nevertheless they *were* parsnips. Don't think I've ever seen them before in the shops in France and my neighbour certainly didn't know what they were. David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK http://rance.org.uk |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
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. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
On 10/05/2010 03:23 PM, David Rance wrote:
Incidentally, David, for the first time a week ago I saw parsnips for sale in a French supermarket (Leclerc, I think it was). They were not as large as those we can buy in Britain but nevertheless they *were* parsnips. Don't think I've ever seen them before in the shops in France and my neighbour certainly didn't know what they were. FWIW parsnips (panais) are considered an "old folks" vegetable in France, and indeed they went out of fashion and weren't widely available. Most people who grew their own food during the war would know them, though. We saw them appearing in open markets about 10 years ago, now they're pretty widely available from better veg vendors, even as you point out showing up at the big chains like Leclerc now and again. (In their defense Leclerc has a "buy local" policy that means your parsnips are likely to come from a local grower. In fact they may well come from a farmer in our village, who's carrots and parsnips are seen at Leclercs as far north as Falaise.) Certainly true they're a bit exotic still, which is a laugh: exotic parsnips! -E |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
On Tue, 5 Oct 2010 Emery Davis wrote:
Incidentally, David, for the first time a week ago I saw parsnips for sale in a French supermarket (Leclerc, I think it was). They were not as large as those we can buy in Britain but nevertheless they *were* parsnips. Don't think I've ever seen them before in the shops in France and my neighbour certainly didn't know what they were. FWIW parsnips (panais) are considered an "old folks" vegetable in France, and indeed they went out of fashion and weren't widely available. Most people who grew their own food during the war would know them, though. But that's my point. My neighbour *didn't* know what they were. He died about four years ago at the age of 82. He was a Norman villager and did grow his own vegetables during and after the war. And when we showed him one a few years ago he said he'd never seen it before and certainly didn't know what it was called. He didn't recognise the word when we told him! David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK http://rance.org.uk |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
In message , Emery Davis
writes On 10/05/2010 03:23 PM, David Rance wrote: Incidentally, David, for the first time a week ago I saw parsnips for sale in a French supermarket snip. Certainly true they're a bit exotic still, which is a laugh: exotic parsnips! In Asda in Wakefield about 10 years ago (my wife's cousin worked there as a Saturday job) they had Turnip classified as an exotic vegetable on their till crib sheet. -- Chris French |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
"Chris" wrote Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple? Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? Seeing as I find roast parsnip revolting whereas I love crispy roast potatoes I find it totally understandable. -- Regards Sue & Bob Hobden |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
"Sacha" wrote ... , "Bob Hobden" said: "Chris" wrote Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple? Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? Seeing as I find roast parsnip revolting whereas I love crispy roast potatoes I find it totally understandable. LOL! My daughter has to leave the kitchen when I'm preparing parsnips. She loathes them so much that they have to be roasted separately from all other meat or veg so as not to taint them! Roasted it tastes like it's been marinated in perfume to me, absolutely horrid. Now in a casserole with all the other root veg and a few dried beans all covering some beef with dumplings on the top, absolute heaven. :-) -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
On 06/10/2010 10:58, Janet wrote:
In , says... "Sacha" wrote ... , "Bob Hobden" said: "Chris" wrote Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple? Parsnips seem to have all the advantages. Maybe there are commercial factors? Seeing as I find roast parsnip revolting whereas I love crispy roast potatoes I find it totally understandable. LOL! My daughter has to leave the kitchen when I'm preparing parsnips. She loathes them so much that they have to be roasted separately from all other meat or veg so as not to taint them! Roasted it tastes like it's been marinated in perfume to me, absolutely horrid. Now in a casserole with all the other root veg and a few dried beans all covering some beef with dumplings on the top, absolute heaven. :-) Have you tried it in parsnip curry soup? Hot and spicy. Janet I love parsnips and ditto curries and soups, but found parsnip curry soup revolting. Parsnips seem to evoke more strong likes and dislikes than Marmite! lol -- David in Normandy. To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the subject line, or it will be automatically deleted by a filter and not reach my inbox. |
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips?
On 10/05/2010 06:35 PM, David Rance wrote:
On Tue, 5 Oct 2010 Emery Davis wrote: Incidentally, David, for the first time a week ago I saw parsnips for sale in a French supermarket (Leclerc, I think it was). They were not as large as those we can buy in Britain but nevertheless they *were* parsnips. Don't think I've ever seen them before in the shops in France and my neighbour certainly didn't know what they were. FWIW parsnips (panais) are considered an "old folks" vegetable in France, and indeed they went out of fashion and weren't widely available. Most people who grew their own food during the war would know them, though. But that's my point. My neighbour *didn't* know what they were. He died about four years ago at the age of 82. He was a Norman villager and did grow his own vegetables during and after the war. And when we showed him one a few years ago he said he'd never seen it before and certainly didn't know what it was called. He didn't recognise the word when we told him! Well, our experiences appear to differ. I'm sure there are older folks down here who don't know it either, in fact I can think of one immediately. The point was that many do. (Perhaps most was an overstatement). I'm sure there's geographical variation, too. -E |
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