Beloved in France and in other parts of Europe, parsnips are closely related to carrots, celery and fennel, with much of the same characteristic sweetness. They probably originated between the Mediterranean area and the Caucasus to the northeast. Tiberius, who seems to have been the emperor of the gourmets as well as the Romans, used to have parsnips imported from the area along the Rhine River, where they grew wild, which was a tricky endeavor: water hemlock, which looks very much like parsnip, is poisonous.
By the mid-16th century, parsnips were being cultivated extensively in Germany, and they were a staple for the poor. Early British settlers introduced parsnips to North America. Even the Delaware and Powhatan Indians planted them. But they were never really appreciated in the U.S. because of their very mild flavor (or lack of it, to some) and because they grew too slowly to be profitable. Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington and northern California are the largest producers, since parsnips need cold weather to convert their starch to sugar. The parsnip grows to be about 7 to 12 inches (17.5 to 30 cm) long, and its texture resembles that of the turnip, with fruity yellowish flesh that has a hazelnut aftertaste.
From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
