In ancient Greece parsley was believed to be sacred and the symbol of fame and joy. It could not possibly be used for such a plebeian purpose as food when it adorned the head of the great Heracles on ceremonial occasions. This belief fell into oblivion but the custom of using it as decoration has been retained to this day, albeit in somewhat different form.
In the first century B.C. the largest producer of olive oil was Italy, where the olive tree was introduced by the Greeks. Olives, as we know them today in the form used to flavour dishes typical of the Mediterranean region, were not known at that time.
The reason is simple - the fresh fruits are inedible because of their unpleasant bitter flavour. This hitter flavour disappears only after lengthy immersion in water that is changed repeatedly, or after pickling in brine for several months. How and when this treatment was discovered we do not know, nor do we know whether our taste was enriched by chance or by man's ingenuity.
Crushed parsley seeds may be used for flavouring instead of the leaves, though this is not a common practice. Parsley leaves are an important component of bouquet garni and a common ingredient of a great variety of commercial sauces.
In cookery the ripe seeds arc used to make poppy-seed cakes and fillings for pastries. Cooking and baking makes their pleasant, nut-like flavour more pronounced. Poppy-seeds are also sprinkled on rolls and buns. Ground seeds are added to pungent herb mixtures not only for their flavour but also to improve the consistency and increase the weight of the mixtures. This is much better than diluting them with starchy flour, as is often done by European producers.
The type species from which the currently cultivated varieties are derived was already grown in Europe and Asia Minor for its oily seeds in the Stone Age. The opium poppy made its appearance in the first century A.D. and its cultivation, this time for its narcotic effects, rapidly spread to Italy, Egypt and Arabia, and later in the 9th century farther east to Iran, India and China.
In the first century B.C. the largest producer of olive oil was Italy, where the olive tree was introduced by the Greeks. Olives, as we know them today in the form used to flavour dishes typical of the Mediterranean region, were not known at that time.
The reason is simple - the fresh fruits are inedible because of their unpleasant bitter flavour. This hitter flavour disappears only after lengthy immersion in water that is changed repeatedly, or after pickling in brine for several months. How and when this treatment was discovered we do not know, nor do we know whether our taste was enriched by chance or by man's ingenuity.
Crushed parsley seeds may be used for flavouring instead of the leaves, though this is not a common practice. Parsley leaves are an important component of bouquet garni and a common ingredient of a great variety of commercial sauces.
In cookery the ripe seeds arc used to make poppy-seed cakes and fillings for pastries. Cooking and baking makes their pleasant, nut-like flavour more pronounced. Poppy-seeds are also sprinkled on rolls and buns. Ground seeds are added to pungent herb mixtures not only for their flavour but also to improve the consistency and increase the weight of the mixtures. This is much better than diluting them with starchy flour, as is often done by European producers.
The type species from which the currently cultivated varieties are derived was already grown in Europe and Asia Minor for its oily seeds in the Stone Age. The opium poppy made its appearance in the first century A.D. and its cultivation, this time for its narcotic effects, rapidly spread to Italy, Egypt and Arabia, and later in the 9th century farther east to Iran, India and China.
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