Roasted Parsnip Soup with Mushrooms

Parsnips are an anomaly.  When roasted, they are sweet and slightly spicy.  They are just as versatile as carrots.  And after comparing their nutritional makeup using nutritiondata.com, they are richer in vitamins and minerals than carrots. So why aren’t they as ubiqutous as their close relative, the carrot? We have no idea, and unfortunately, parsnips often languish in produce sections in favor of their more popular and brighter relative.