Stone parsley

Sison amomum

spice

Small aromatic seeds once used as a condiment, the poor man's spice of the Middle Ages; a root tasting of celery.

Origin

Western and southern Europe

Where to find it

Nobody eats it any more; in southern England and western France, you recognize it by the petrol smell of its crushed leaves.

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

The seeds are crushed and used by the pinch, like cumin; the root is peeled and cooked like celery root.

Did you know?

It is an umbellifer of hedges and banks, a cousin of parsley.