# Parsley Garnish On Salad? Cleansers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [July 9, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962 "2024-07-09T19:55:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/1 "2024-07-09T19:55:18Z")
Growing up, we didn’t eat at a lot of fancy restaurants. But the somewhat fancy places tended to include a sprig of fresh parsley on some salads and sides. Class! You don’t see that very often now. When did it disappear? Was the parsley supposed to cleanse the palate or freshen the breath? Apart from pickled ginger or the _mukhwas_ mouth freshener after good Indian, does anything else commonly serve this purpose? ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/2 "2024-07-09T20:08:07Z")
I remember parsley garnishes but I always placed them to the side and never consumed them. If I recall my parents used to say it was simply decorative. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/3 "2024-07-09T20:23:02Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > If I recall my parents used to say it was simply decorative. It is mainly decorative but it is edible. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/4 "2024-07-09T20:28:51Z")
This was 50 or more years ago. I don’t think I ever tried eating it even after I became an adult. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/5 "2024-07-09T20:29:57Z")
I always thought it was just a garnish, but at some point in my childhood my mother learned that it is also [a good breath-freshener](https://cooleysmileseverett.com/p/BLOG-82721-2021.5.24-Eating-Parsley-After-a-Meal-Can-Keep-Your-Breath-Fresher-p.asp#:~:text=Parsley%20leaves%20contain%20natural%20aromatic,that%20leads%20to%20bad%20breath.). After that, we’d sporadically consume the parsley after finishing the rest of the meal. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/6 "2024-07-09T23:26:16Z")
My mother always ate the parsley. I can’t remember whether my father did. I also can’t remember whether I ate it as a child; but I definitely eat it now, if offered any. And sometimes I put some on a sandwich, almost as if it were lettuce (though not usually as much as I would lettuce, at least if there’s plenty of lettuce.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/7 "2024-07-09T23:58:21Z")
I love parsley. I grow it, and take a couple of sprigs for soup and stuff. And sometimes i just pluck a sprig and eat it ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/8 "2024-07-10T00:03:10Z")
I like parsley, too. I love a good pasta with heaping handsful of chopped parsley. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/9 "2024-07-10T00:09:59Z")
^ And this is how I use it at home. I suspect the sprigs at restaurants became a thing of the past due to it basically being a waste item, as hardly anyone would eat it. Why spend the money on it? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/10 "2024-07-10T03:04:40Z")
Two dollars today buys you a lot; enough for a hundred plates. I think it just went out of fashion, not mainly due to the minimal cost. Dad always said it freshened the breath (though not always his). It was a marker of _fine dining_. Like serving “After Eight” dinner mints (waffer thin!) with the bill. Or having a bowl of mints by the door that tasted like toothpaste. Or putting frilly toothpicks in triangular club sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/11 "2024-07-10T03:10:27Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And sometimes i just pluck a sprig and eat it I wish I liked parsley that well! I have no objection to it when chopped and added to a dish; it’s mostly neutral and maybe a little nice fresh green taste. But I can’t say I like eating a fresh sprig straight up; the texture is … intrusive … and it doesn’t offer the aromatic hit you get from fresh basil or mint; it just tastes to me like grass. Please send me a few of your more discerning, educated taste buds. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/12 "2024-07-10T03:17:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@Ellecram](#): > > > > If I recall my parents used to say it was simply decorative. > > It is mainly decorative but it is edible. - [https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/169062237\_1033184490665855\_2319012452809067382\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=100&ccb=1-7&\_nc\_sid=7b2446&\_nc\_ohc=A4zEtMMOalYQ7kNvgFpn6mL&\_nc\_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=00\_AYA2qT720Bfju9eMIO1ZfeKpPV701X16dbI3hkvAzOHS2Q&oe=66B58097](https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/169062237_1033184490665855_2319012452809067382_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=7b2446&_nc_ohc=A4zEtMMOalYQ7kNvgFpn6mL&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=00_AYA2qT720Bfju9eMIO1ZfeKpPV701X16dbI3hkvAzOHS2Q&oe=66B58097) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/13 "2024-07-10T03:46:54Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Two dollars today buys you a lot; enough for a hundred plates. … When my sister and I were kids, we grew parsley in the back yard. It’s amazingly easy to grow, and will grow all summer long. Every ten days or so, we’d pick a few bunches, and sell them to the local butcher and the greengrocer, and any neighbours who wanted any. I don’t think we made more than two dollars per “harvest,” but there were a number of harvests per summer. Sis and I always had plenty to spend at the corner store those summers. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/14 "2024-07-10T11:15:45Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > You don’t see that very often now. When did it disappear? What? We have parsley growing in our herb garden. I use it as an ingredient or garnish most evenings. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/15 "2024-07-10T12:14:05Z")
I had no idea parsley went back that far/s. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/16 "2024-07-10T12:26:07Z")
The _finishing touch_ of a sprig of parsley (or some other finishing detail) can be important in getting the whole of the presentation right, in my experience; if you are plating with the intention and knowlege of how it will be finished, the whole of the arrangement becomes easier to care about. Maybe that’s just me, but I notice that if I prepare a garnish for the final flourish, I present my food with more care. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/17 "2024-07-10T12:41:10Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I notice that if I prepare a garnish for the final flourish, I present my food with more care. Yes! I’ve made some mediocre meals that got ohhhs and ahhhs because of the plating and presentation. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/18 "2024-07-10T12:47:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Yes! I’ve made some mediocre meals that got ohhhs and ahhhs because of the plating and presentation. As an old chef said to me, “First we taste with the eyes”. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/19 "2024-07-10T13:45:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > Yes! I’ve made some mediocre meals that got ohhhs and ahhhs because of the plating and presentation. > > As an old chef said to me, **“First we taste with the eyes”.** - How true. > **[Little Baby's Ice Cream -- Eyes Scream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJaLU0w5Do4%2F)** > > Director/Editor/Copy: Doug Garth WilliamsDP: Jason BeckwithVoice: Matthias BossiMusic: Jon GuezFeaturing:Jordan Epcar, Jasmine Marrowhttp://www.littlebabysic... ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962/20 "2024-07-10T13:54:33Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > it doesn’t offer the aromatic hit you get from fresh basil or mint; it just tastes to me like grass. Interesting. Parsley to me has quite a distinctive flavor. I wonder whether it’s the tastebuds or the parsley? I’m growing varieties that are bred for (among other things) the flavor; maybe there are some bland ones on the market? Might be the tastebuds, though; they do indeed vary. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parsley-garnish-on-salad-cleansers/1003962.md?page=2)