Vegetable
Celery
Celery is grown for crisp pale stalks, aromatic leaves, and concentrated seed. Pascal types dominate as crunchy vegetable ribs; leaf celery and Chinese celery emphasise thin stalks and potent foliage used like a herb in stocks, salads, soups, and stir-fries. Leaves are stronger and more herbal than mild inner ribs. Seed is a warm spice (often listed separately in spice blends) produced by the same species. Matching stalk, leaf, heart, or seed to the dish avoids wasting the aromatic top or under-seasoning broths.
Also known as: Qin cai, Céleri, Sedano
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History
Leafy wild celery was used as a garland and flavouring plant in the classical Mediterranean.
European kitchen gardens grew smallage and leaf celery before thick blanched stalks became the main market form.
Chinese celery types emphasised thin stalks and potent leaves in stir-fries and soups.
Pascal celery breeding and blanching methods fixed modern thick-stalk celery for raw eating and mirepoix.
Chefs revived celery leaf as a zero-waste herb and specialty salad green alongside commodity stalks.