Celery

Also known asApium graveolens · 芹菜

Name: Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) — a crisp, juicy, ribbed stalk with leaves, with a fresh, slightly salty, herbal flavour. The root form, celeriac, has its own page, and celery seed is a spice.

Description

Celery is native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, and was originally a wild marsh plant, called smallage, that was eaten and used as medicine by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and its leaves were found in Tutankhamun's tomb. It was bred into a milder, less bitter vegetable in Italy and France in the 17th century.

Celery is more than 95% water, with a crunchy texture, and is a basis of flavour in many cuisines: it is part of the French mirepoix, the Cajun “holy trinity” and Italian soffritto. Celery is a major allergen in Europe, where it must be labelled on packaged food.

Main nutrition value

Celery is very low in calories and provides vitamin K, potassium, folate and vitamin C, along with fibre and antioxidants, and its salt-like flavour comes partly from natural sodium.

How best to be consumed

Celery is eaten raw and cooked.

1. Eat raw, with dips, peanut butter or cheese, or slice into salads, tuna salad and slaws.
2. Sauté with onion and carrot as the flavour base for soups, stews and sauces.
3. Braise whole hearts in stock until soft and silky.
4. Use the leaves as an herb, and the strings can be peeled off tougher stalks.
5. Store wrapped in foil in the fridge, which keeps it crisp for weeks.

Overconsumption could cause…

Celery is safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Celery allergy, which can be severe, and is one of the common food allergens in Europe, where it must be declared on labels, and which may cross-react with birch pollen and mugwort.
2. Skin sensitivity to sunlight from compounds called psoralens, in rare cases, especially with large amounts.
3. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the vitamin K content, so keep intake steady.
4. A lot of salt in celery salt and ready meals.

GroupsStem and Shoot VegetablesCarrot and parsley family (Apiaceae)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Related foodsFennelCardoonAlfalfa SproutsBamboo ShootsAsparagusBean Sprouts

Wikipedia — Celery, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celery