The parsnip is the cream-coloured, edible taproot of Pastinaca sativa, a cool-season biennial in the carrot family (Apiaceae). Firmer and starchier than its cousin the carrot, it has a sweet, nutty, earthy flavour that deepens and caramelises when roasted — a cornerstone winter root eaten roasted, mashed, fried into crisps, and simmered into soups and stews.