History of Parsley - Origins & Historical Uses
(Carum Petroselinum, Linn.)
Parsley Proverbs & Folklore.
Much of the folklore surrounding parsley can be probably attributed to a look-alike plant called fool's parsley that is actually deadly.
The Ancient Greeks simply associated parsley with death as it was supposed to have sprung from the blood of Archemorus, whose name meant 'Forerunner of Death.' Homer tells of chariot horses being fed parsley by warriors prior to battle in hopes of making the animals more fleet of foot. Victors at funeral games, athletic contests held in honor of a recently deceased person, were crowned with parsley. The saying 'to be in need of parsley' was their way of saying that someone was terribly ill and not expected to survive. It was never served at the dining table because it was held sacred to oblivion and the defunct.
Greek gardens often had borders of parsley and rue which led to the saying "Oh! we are only at the Parsley and Rue" to signify when an undertaking was in contemplation and not fully acted upon.
The Romans did not generally eat parsley either but they did wear garlands of parsley on their heads during feasts to ward off intoxication. Parsley was kept away from nursing mothers because it was thought to cause epilepsy in their babies.
With this already black reputation, it was little wonder that even the low germination rate of parsley seeds was given an ominous folklore. It was said that the reason for the slow and unreliable germination of parlsey is that the seed goes nine times to the Devil and back before coming up. The ungerminated seeds are the ones that the Devil keeps for himself. In some areas, the belief went even further claiming that only if the woman was master of the household would parsley start to grow.
Ironically, at Roman weddings, wreaths of parsley were given to protect against evil spirits.
English Parsley Folklore.
Apparently it wasn't just the Ancients who attached odd folklore to parsley; the people in old England had their own set of parables and folklore surrounding the plant which also appear to have differed between the regions of the country.
Parsley was also associated with death in England. A common saying was 'Welsh parsley is a good physic' - 'Welsh parsley' signified the gallows rope. In Surrey and in other southern English counties it was said, "Where parsley's grown in the garden, there'll be a death before the year's out."
While certainly not as dramatic as a death sentence, it was believed if someone cut parsley that they would be later crossed in love.
Transplanting parsley would appear to be an equally unfavorable activity. In Devonshire, it was believed that to transplant parsley was to commit offense against the 'guardian genius' who presides over parsley beds. The evil transplanter or a member of his family was thought to be punished within a year. (No specifics were given as to what sort of punishment could be expected.) And, in Hampshire, peasants feared giving away any parsley as it would bring ill-luck upon them.
One woman in Morwenstow claimed that one of her children sickened after an "unfortunate undoing of the parsley bed."
In Suffolk, it was thought sowing Parsley seed on Good Friday would ensure the herb coming up "double".
Early Medicinal Uses of Parsley.
Pliny (23 - 79 AD) mentioned parsley as a cure for ailing fish and listed it as a popular flavoring for broths and sauces. He also made mention of a curled variety. In Tudor times through to recent years, parsley was thought to be a remedy for baldness.
Parsley was once thought to be effective against poisons. One of our sources suggested that parsley's ability to conteract the strong smell of garlic as a possible source for this belief and usage.
Charlemagne was said to have favored cheese flavored with parsley seeds.Gerard, author of Herball or Historie of Plants(1597), grew both the smooth and curled leaf varieties and described the curled variety as "fannes of curled feathers."
Nicholas Culpepper (1616 - 1654), a physician-astrologer, said "it brings urine and women's curses", referring to parsley's diuretic effect and the belief it could both bring on and relieve the discomforts associated with a woman's monthly cycle.
Tournefort (1656 - 1708), despite being perhaps the greatest European botanist of his century, believed parsley to contain an acrid and corrosive salt that when wet with water and left in contact with a glass that the glass will become extremely fragile and easily broken.
The Gardener's Dictionary, published in 1805 by Phillip Miller, identified parsley as being fatal to small birds. It goes on to say that parsley can injure the sight and aggrevate or even cause epilepsy.
Farmers once thought that parsley prevented a number of diseases in sheep and would plant fields of it to keep their flock healthy. Parsley, with it's strong aroma, would unfortunately attract an overabundance of rabbits and hares which would come from long distances to eat the parlsey leaving many farmers to fence in their fields of parsley.
Seeing the dilemma of the farmers, gardeners planted carnations with their parsley in hopes of providing the rabbits and hares an alternative. Unfortunately, the parsley was still eaten and the carnations simply ruined.
Additional Parsley Information.
Thankfully, in spite of its connections with death and suffering, along the way, someone figured out that parsley was quite tasty and worthy of growing. Along with this historical look at the origins and early uses of parsley, Our Herb Garden has guides on Growing Parsley and Parsley Companion Planting.