Parsley as an ingredient

I'm planning on making imam bayildi soon and I've noticed that all of the recipes call for parsley as an ingredient.

I've never cooked with parsley. My only encounter with it is as a side garnish when eating out at restaurants. Back in the 1960s it was pretty much standard practice at restaurants to have a sprig or two of parsley on the plate. Nobody in our family ever ate it. As a kid I tried a few nibbles and quickly found out why. By itself raw parsley tastes pretty bad, at least to my juvenile palate.

Until I encountered imam bayildi, nothing I've cooked or wanted to cook has called for parsley. Cilantro, perhaps, but not parsley.

So I'm curious. What sort of character does parsley impart? Is there much difference between flat-leaf (Italian) and curly-leaf parsley? Can one substitute cilantro? Around here fresh parsley is sold in big bunches and I'm a bit reluctant to buy that much just for use in one dish.

-Paul W.

So I'm curious. What sort of character does parsley impart? Is there much difference between flat-leaf (Italian) and curly-leaf parsley? Can one substitute cilantro?

I think you just need to taste and then an experienced cook like you will know what you want to do.

There is a pretty big difference in flavor between flat and curly-leaf parsley, so I don't think of them as interchangeable, but of course it's all on a spectrum. I much prefer flat-leaf, and frankly never even see curly-leaf at my markets. But, parsley is not the most exciting herb in my opinion and I mainly buy it when I want an herb and there are no other options!

It's also very different from cilantro and I wouldn't think of them as substitutes. I also tend to think of parsley as a European direction for food, whereas cilantro is either an Asian or Latin American direction.

That said, obviously you can use whatever flavor profile you want!

I'm pretty much with Rahsaan down the line (prefer Italian/flat, etc), with the exception that we pretty much always have around. It is mostly used as a garnish (but chopped on top, not a sprig on the side). In last week or so I've put parsley on top of sauteed mushrooms, potatoes with ramp butter, chicken tagine). The only dish I can think of we make where it's the dominant flavor is tabbouleh, or side sauces like gremolata or persillade.

I also prefer the Italian parsley. Tabbouleh uses a lot of parsley. No way would cilantro substitute. Some people think it tastes soapy (which once was me). If you do use cilantro, be careful of the amount or it'll be overpowering.

A lot of American tabbouleh seem to be mostly bulgur while authentic versions are mostly herb (parsley, maybe a little mint added, no cilantro) with bulgur, tomato, etc.

Paul, I'm relatively sure that if you've had any soup with a clear broth, you've tasted a dish cooked with parsley -- it's widely used when making soup stocks. But, yes, tabbouleh is one of the ways to really get a sense of what fresh parsley tastes like, once you get past the olive oil and lemon juice.

Speaking as the other imam bayildi maker hereabouts -- and, strangely, I was just mulling over this exact topic earlier today! -- you definitely want to use the parsley, and definitely the Italian flat-leaf.

Parsley, by itself, has a vaguely mint-plus-dirt flavor in the leaves; many Asian cooks prefer using the stems. I've tried both; they are very similar.

Where parsley shines is in combination with other things. It is a consummate wing-man: if you're focused on something else, it can give you a bit of greeny-herby or a little stemmy-woodsy or a little earthy-clayey thing as a counter-balance. Kinda like how people use chervil just as a pluff on top of things and never as a main flavor.

Cilantro is not a suitable substitute; way too strong. If you really want to substitute you'd need to find something also delicate, perhaps summer savory or maybe dried (not fresh) rosemary.

Cilantro is not a suitable substitute; way too strong. If you really want to substitute...

I don't think anything is really going to 'substitute' and produce the same dish, it's always going to be different. The question is whether the other path is also delicious in a way that you enjoy.

I've made Imam Bayildi in the past - it's a faff - and I didn't use any parsley.

I have it regularly now, but at our local Turkish restaurant, letting someone else do the faff while I get the pleasure.
I'm going there on Tuesday so I'll ask the owner whether and which parsley he uses.

I don't think cilantro can ever substitute for parsley, no more than basil can. Cilantro has a very distinctive taste, not at all like parsley

[Jenise]

I'm a fan. I love green food, and was that way out of the womb. Green bell peppers were a favorite snack for tiny Jenise and at restaurants I always nibbled on the parsley sprig. In my own cooking: boiled baby new potatoes with parsley and butter wherein the parsley is a key flavor component, not just there to look pretty? Love it. Ditto carrots. Ditto a Lebanese tomato salad where tomatoes, lots of chopped parsley and feta cheese are tossed with lemon juice and olive oil? A summer favorite. Leaves of Italian and fresh dill added to salad greens? Yes! Argentine chimmichurri, Chicken and olive tagines, and another Morroccan treatment whose name escapes me but which combines parsley and cilantro in equal large amounts--all are great uses for parsley. Like Dale, I nearly always have some on hand.

Cilantro is not a suitable substitute; way too strong. If you really want to substitute...

I don't think anything is really going to 'substitute' and produce the same dish, it's always going to be different. The question is whether the other path is also delicious in a way that you enjoy.

Relativist!

Thanks to all for the parsley info.

[I much prefer flat-leaf, and frankly never even see curly-leaf at my markets.

I checked my supermarket's produce section yesterday. They have both flat-leaf and curly-leaf parsley.

-Paul W.

I fall much more into the "not a fan" category, although I do like flat-leaf a little better than the curly leaf. Jenise reminds me that the only dish I really like it in is parsley-buttered potatoes. I'm not much of a fan of tabbouleh, mostly because of all of the parsley in it. We do have it in pretty much every market here, and it's sometimes the only fresh herb you'll find.

Back when I was a kid, my mom often ate the parsley sprig that came with a restaurant meal. She claimed that it was supposed to help freshen her breath after the meal as it has a lot of chlorophyll (as did the Clorets gum she sometimes chewed for the same reason). Fresh breath was never worth eating parsley for me (and I've always doubted that it would really help my breath anyway).

I grow parsley, but not sure if I like it. I have Italian parsley and use it mainly as a garnish just because it looks pretty. I have added it to soups just to get a little more green in there. I like cilantro, but it bolts as soon as it gets hot here, and when I buy it at the store, put it into water and keep it on the cool side, it only lasts a few days and dies. Irritating!

I grow parsley, but not sure if I like it. I have Italian parsley and use it mainly as a garnish just because it looks pretty. I have added it to soups just to get a little more green in there. I like cilantro, but it bolts as soon as it gets hot here, and when I buy it at the store, put it into water and keep it on the cool side, it only lasts a few days and dies. Irritating!

Have you tried standing up the cilantro in a glass with a little water, loosely placing a plastic bag over it, and putting it in the refrigerator?

[Jenise]

Mike brings up a point. In general, it's my impression--gathered over my lifetime--that women enjoy leafy green food better than men do, as if it's programmed into our DNA to like chlorophyll in all its forms.

Mike brings up a point. In general, it's my impression--gathered over my lifetime--that women enjoy leafy green food better than men do, as if it's programmed into our DNA to like chlorophyll in all its forms.

Ah, I guess my last name is why I'm such a chick magnet.

[Jenise]

But does it clean your breath? Mike's mom wants to know.

And parsley contains twice the vit C as oranges, by weight.

Inspired by this thread, I bought some parsley at the market this morning. Seemed like a better choice than super-early-season hydroponic basil, although there were other herbs that I would usually buy (e.g. the flavor of oregano so much more inviting, although perhaps less versatile). Used the parsley for lunch and dinner and was reminded of the deep green flavors, which has value when cheaper than other herbs. Will see how long this inspiration lasts....

So, there's an odd thing: fresh oregano is one herb I don't care for. I've tried it but give me the dried anytime.

I'm losing my patience with marjoram, too.

--

Jenise, you haven't seen me around spinach salads!

So, there's an odd thing: fresh oregano is one herb I don't care for. I've tried it but give me the dried anytime.

I'm losing my patience with marjoram, too.

!!!!

Does not compute...

So, there's an odd thing: fresh oregano is one herb I don't care for. I've tried it but give me the dried anytime.

I'm losing my patience with marjoram, too.

Many people prefer the dried oregano. I use a fair amount dried oregano, myself. The two have different flavor profiles, and the dried is zestier and more concentrated. The loss of your patience with marjoram might be because marjoram and oregano are close cousins, as you may already know..

Yes. Marjoram is not an herb I have known from way back so, at first, it did seem just like a milder oregano. As I have used it, however, I have found a flowery scent in it, and, unlike herbes de provence, it isn't thrilling me.

Another herb in this ilk is savory but I am liking how my palate develops for it.