A white root vegetable that is long and pointed, similar in shape to a carrot. They have a sweet, earthy flavor and mild aroma. 

Europe and West Asia.

English colonists brought the parsnip to the Americas in the 17th century, where they were first grown in Virginia.  

Europeans used parsnips as a sweetener when sugar or honey was too expensive or unavailable. 

New Oxford Book of Food Plants by John Vaughan et al. (2009) 

The Oxford Companion to Food. 3rd ed., by Alan Davidson and edited by Tom Jaine (2014) 

“Two Mediterranean Root Crops” from Aggie Horticulture 

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/parsnip.html 

“What Are Parsnips?” by Molly Watson (2020) https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-parsnips-4115576