The parsnip is a long, wide, tapering pale cream-coloured root vegetable. It is a native plant of Europe and Asia and has been grown and eaten since ancient times. It will grow in a wide range of weather, and so is a reliable vegetable. One of its advantages is that it is able to stand up to frost and so does not need to be dug from the ground until it is needed. This means it is less likely to rot. In fact, the later in the year it is dug up, the better the taste, because each frost makes the root produce sugar. It was even used to sweeten other foods before sugar was introduced from the Americas.

Parsnips have a large amount of essential potassium as well as substances called antioxidants, which are good for health. Because it is very fibrous, it is also good as roughage in the gut.