Though there are more than 30 varieties of this herb, the most popular are curly-leaf parsley and Italian or flat-leaf parsley. The Italian variety, which is a deep blue-green, is more strongly flavoured than the curly variety and stands up well to heat. Curly-leaf parsley is milder tasting, lighter green in colour, and less perishable.

In addition to fresh, parsley is sold as dried flakes. However, fresh is more flavourful.