Tuberous-rooted chervil

Chaerophyllum bulbosum · Root vegetable

40 pairings

Tuberous-rooted chervil (Chaerophyllum bulbosum), also called turnip-rooted chervil, parsnip chervil or bulbous chervil, is a European gourmet winter root of a carrot-family plant — quite distinct from the leafy herb chervil despite the shared name. The short, stubby, greyish-brown roots hide dense ivory flesh prized by chefs for a sweet, mealy flavour likened to a cross between chestnut, potato and celeriac, deepening to its best only after weeks of cold storage.

Picking a good onedrag

Just lifted, hard and blandShrivelled, sprouted, soft

Cured and sweetScrub, do not peel - peeling ruins the flavour - then boil, roast, glaze or puree. This judges a bought, named root: the family holds hemlock and no card identifies a root.Everyday best

SkinDry matte grey-brown, taut over the flesh

CrownScar dry and corked, nothing pushing

The heftFirm right through, heavy for its size

Smell at a scraped patchSweet chestnut over clean damp earth

What to look for, from just lifted, hard and bland to shrivelled, sprouted, soft.

Preparing