PARSNIP. 43 



people evaporate the juice until it has the 

 consistency of thick syrup, when they eat it 

 on bread instead of honey, and use it in many 

 cases as a substitute for sugar. 



Marmalade made with parsnips and a 

 small quantity of sugar, is thought to ex- 

 cite appetite, and to be a very proper food 

 for convalescents. 



Wine made from these roots approaches 

 nearer to the Malmsey of Madeira and the 

 Canaries, than any other wine ; it is made 

 with little expense or trouble, and only re- 

 quires to be kept a few years to make it as 

 agreeable to the palate, as it is wholesome 

 to the body ; yet fashion induces us to give 

 pounds for foreign wines, when we can ob- 

 tain excellent wines of our own country 

 for as many shillings. 



In the northern parts of Ireland the poor 

 people obtain a sort of beer from parsnips, 

 by mashing and boiling the roots with hops, 

 and then fermenting the liquor. 



Parsnips yield, in distillation, a small por- 

 tion of essential oil, with the flavour of the 

 root ; and the seeds are aromatic. 



A good cook will never send salt-fish, and 

 but few salted meats, to table, without pars- 

 nips. In Holland they are much used in soup. 



