Purple-leaved Japanese parsley (Cryptotaenia japonica f. atropurpurea) promises a light and sparse flowering, containing all the poetry of a Milky Way piercing light pollution, when its flower stems of floating flakes rise discreetly in June and July in our redundant arrangements, above decorative and aromatic foliage. Mitsuba, its Japanese name, means “three leaves”, and when you look more closely, these three leaflets on leaves arranged in a rosette are reminiscent of flat-leaf parsley, but wider. From the same family as true parsley, this cousin also brings the soft and floral nuances of angelica and chervil. Coming back from one year to the next or even reseeding itself, it spares us the step of early sowing required by the slow and irregular germination of parsley traditionally grown in our vegetable gardens. One less chore to get out of winter. Like a spring on autopilot.

The atropurpurea variant, with its chocolatey purple hues, is an advantageous addition to a Japanese salad. It particularly knows how to highlight the exceptional beings that surround it, allowing them to shine against its dark foliage, all in flattering contrasts. You could plant it in conditions similar to their original natural habitat, near a water source or in the shade of an undergrowth that does not lack humidity, in the company of the soft green of fiddlehead ferns in order to combine them in a spring harvest leading them to the same dish of teriyaki tofu and Japanese-style parsley fiddleheads.

Very popular in Japan, China, Korea and Indonesia, we use this aromatic herb as much as Italian or curly parsley here, in a similar way. Mitsuba imparts its unique flavor to a magnificent seasonal dish based on matsutake, a famous mushroom that is sold at high prices. Tradition puts it in the spotlight in New Year’s soup, in sushi, in tempura as well as in egg or rice dishes. Raw or cooked, all parts are edible. The stems with the petioles are often blanched for a few minutes to soften them while retaining their crunchiness, without degrading the taste or color, then prepared like celery. The root, hard and stiff when raw, is eaten like parsnips, best after boiling or steaming for about thirty minutes, more or less. Unless you prefer frying. A single leaf, with its trio of green or purple leaflets, is elegantly presented as a garnish with sesame on seafood. In any recipe, it is always added at the end of cooking, where it will be pushed, despite its discreet nature, to express its flavors without revealing its bitterness. Purple-leaved Japanese parsley is rich in carotene, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A, B and C.