Carrot Family (Apiaceae)

Various species of the Apiaceae are grown as food or as flavorings. The best known of the food crops is the carrot (Daucus carota), a biennial plant native to temperate Eurasia. The cultivated carrot develops a large, roughly conical, orange-yellow tap root, which is harvested at the end of one growing season, just before the ground freezes. The color of carrot roots is due to the pigment carotene, a metabolic precursor for the synthesis of vitamin A. Carotene is sometimes extracted from carrots and used to color other foods, such as cheddar cheese, and sometimes butter and margarine. Carrots can be eaten raw, cooked as a vegetable, or added to stews and soups.

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is another biennial species in which the whitish tap root is harvested and eaten, usually as a cooked vegetable. Both the carrot and parsnip are ancient cultivated plants, being widely used as a food and medicine by the early Greeks and Romans.

The celery (Apium graveolens) is native to moist habitats in temperate regions of Eurasia. Wild celery plants are tough, distasteful, and even poisonous, but domesticated varieties are harvested for their crisp, edible petioles (stalks). The most commonly grown variety of celery has been bred to have long, crunchy, juicy petioles. Until this variety was developed, the flavor of cultivated celery was commonly improved by a technique known as blanching, in which the growing plant is partially covered by mulch, paper, or boards to reduce the amount of chlorophyll that it develops. This practice is still used to grow "celery hearts." The celeriac or celery-root is a variety in which the upper part of the root and the lower part of the stem, a tissue known as a hypocotyl, are swollen, and can be harvested and used in soups or cooked as a nutritious vegetable. Celery seeds are sometimes used as a savory garnish for cooked foods, and to manufacture celery salt.

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is one of the most common of the garden herbs, and is often used as a savory, edible foliage, rich in vitamin C and iron. Parsley is Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). © Hans Reinhard/Okapia 1990, National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers, Inc. Reproduced with permission. most commonly used as a pleasing, but not-to-be-eaten visual garnish for well-presented, epicurean foods. This dark-green plant can be a pleasant food in itself and is used to flavor tabouleh, a North African dish made with bulgar wheat, tomatoes, and lots of chopped parsley.

The foliage of dill (Anethum graveolens) is commonly used to flavor pickled cucumbers, gherkins, and tomatoes, and sometimes as a steamed garnish for fish or chicken. Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) leaves are also used as a garnish and in salads.

Other species in the Apiaceae are cultivated largely for their tasty, aromatic seeds. The economically most important of these savory seeds are those of caraway (Carum carvi), which are widely used to flavor bread and cheese. An aromatic oil extracted from caraway seeds is used in the preparation of medicine and perfume, and to flavor the liquors kummel and aqua-vitae. The anise or aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) is one of the oldest of the edible, aromatic seeds. An oil extracted from the seeds of anise is used to flavor candies, cough medicines, and a liquor known as anisette. The seeds of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) also contain anise oil, and are used in the preparation of medicines and liquorice, while the foliage is sometimes used as a garnish. The seeds of angelica (Angelica archangelica) are also a source of an aromatic oil, used to flavor vermouth and other liquors. Coriander ( Coriander sativum) seeds yield another aromatic oil, used to flavor candy, medicine, and liquors. The seeds of cumin (Cuminum cyminum) are used to flavor breads, cheese, candy, soup, and pickles.