PARSNIP: a vegetable of the parsley family, which grows wild in many parts of Europe and Asia. The Romans are credited with having been the first to cultivate it. It is one of the most nutritious roots, popular for table purposes and surpassed only by the beet as a food for cattle. In parts of England and Ireland a "wine" is made from the fermented roots. Parsnips make their best growth very late in the fall and it is customary to leave part of the crop in the ground over the winter, the frost action improving the flavor. Dug roots should be kept in a cool cellar or similar place, protected both from light and air currents.