The learned Foodie, Adam Florance mentioned using Parsley Stems in his excellent recipe for Moroccan Lamb Riblets ( refer Recipes ).

Adam would not advise the addition of Parsley Stems as opposed to Parsley Leaves without good reason and given that Parsley is an essential in so many recipes, we decided to look into this Parsley business further.

The results are interesting. Parsley Leaves have a support role providing a fresh bitter flavour that brightens, lifts and balances the other flavours in your dish, much like lemon.

Parsley Stems provide the same bitter brightness, however, this intensifies as you proceed down the stem, progressively becoming more bitter and harsher toward the base.

Adam's recipe is essentially a slow cooked stew, allowing the more powerful Parsley Stems to have a very real place in lifting and balancing the flavours.

The reverse follows of course where you are adding Parsley to, say, a pan fried fish dish. Then only the fresh leaves are required without the flavour punch of the stems.

Clever Foodies will balance the Leaves and Stems to kick in a little more depth to the recipe while others will avoid the Stems altogether. It all depends on your recipe.

Interestingly, Coriander is the reverse to Parsley. The Coriander flavour will increase as you proceed down the stem with arguably, the best flavour at the base. The leaves contributing less of the citrus taste but giving nice serving presentation.

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