A Peek at Parsley During Lent

“Oh! We are only at the parsley and the rue.”
~Greek Adage~

“They are to eat the lamb,
together with the unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”
~Numbers 9:11~

Parsley and rue were used as borders for Greek gardens. Gazing at a garden while standing at its border is symbolic of being only at the beginning of a project; hence, the Greek adage quoted above. In other words, whatever feelings of satisfaction I had in obtaining “so many” words on a page and have but to add the “finishing touch,” I’ve only just begun; in today’s terminology, “it’s just the tip of the iceberg”!

Perhaps that is also key as to why parsley is used as a garnish—a “finishing touch” to something that was heavily invested in; but, in law terms, to garnish would mean to seize or settle a debt.

To delve into this concept a bit more, Numbers 11 heralds us with the mewling whines of the Israelites, “Now the people complained about their hardships.” Not four verses later, we read that they “began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!’” Now, I have done my share of complaining in life, and I’d like to believe that Father God remembers me as a worshipper rather than a complainer. In the midst of our covetous complaints, it is easy to see that the “grass is greener on the other side.” Sometimes, I have been wont to tell my children that the grass is, indeed, greener on the other side; perhaps it is greener, I like to say, because it is artificial.

According to the biblical story line, my complaints carry their own weight in bitterness. The complaints of the people weighed Moses down to the degree that he in turn cried with complaints to the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on me? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?…I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me” (Numbers 11:11-14). The garnishing effect of this story’s punchline is that the Lord Himself takes on the extra burden and provides for the needs of His people when they are in the desert. The parsley serves as one of the bitter reminders of our own complaining spirit, dipped in salt to be a poignant reminder of the tears that were shed in the midst of complaints.

As Shelley Cramm poetically describes, “Passover is preamble to the three festivals…[where] bitter herbs reminded the participants of the horrible and unjust suffering experienced by their ancestors” (God’s Word for Gardeners, p. 174). Parsley dipped in salt is among the herbs most notably given credence to as one of those “bitter herbs” and thusly used in the Seder meal. “The symbolic Seder foods are used to make the narrating vivid, and…we actually taste the experience and ensure it will become a part of us…Bitter herbs sting our tongues with the harshness of slavery and oppression” (Jayne Cohen, Jewish Holiday Cooking, 2008).    

Chimichurri

1 cup chopped parsley
4 tsp garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt

Combine herbs in processor and chop. Stir in liquid ingredients. Lovely spread for any steak (or lamb!) dinner.