Tag: Pastinaca sativa

Parsnips have been cultivated and enjoyed as a food crop since ancient Roman times, and their culinary legacy continues today. Though often mistaken for a pale carrot, the parsnip is a root vegetable with a distinct, sweet, and earthy flavor, especially after exposure to frost.

Wild parsnip is the same species, *Pastinaca sativa*, as the domesticated vegetable found in grocery stores, but it has escaped cultivation and proliferated in the wild. The answer to "can humans eat wild parsnip?" is complex, involving strict safety measures and proper identification to avoid serious chemical burns.