Interested in trying our FREE 7-day healthy diet plan? Celery is a marshland plant that comes from the same family as carrots and parsley. It has long, firm, pale green fibrous stalks and grows in bunches of approximately eight to 10. The stalks taper into leaves at celery parsley top.

Although most people discard the leaves, they are also edible. Celery has a mild, earthy, slightly peppery taste. What are the 5 top health benefits of celery? A 2010 animal study using celery extract also suggested that its phytonutrient content may be beneficial for protecting digestive mucosa, and as a result may guard against gastric ulcers. May improve memoryA 2017 animal study found that celery extract appeared to improve cognitive function associated with ageing and depression. Studies also suggest it may be effective at reducing blood glucose levels.

For most of us, celery is a healthy dietary inclusion, but some people may be allergic to celery. A mild reaction may include symptoms such as an itching mouth or tongue, sneezing or a runny nose. It is also important to note that celery is high in oxalates, and may not be suitable for those with kidney stones or kidney-related conditions. Always check with your GP if you are concerned about or have kidney-related health issues. Visit the NHS website to read more about allergies. If you are concerned about food allergies, please consult your GP or a registered Dietician for guidance. This article was reviewed on 23 February 2021 by Kerry Torrens.

Nicola Shubrook is a nutritional therapist and works with both private clients and the corporate sector. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information. This website is published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution. The Spruce Eats: What Is Celery? Celery is a leafy green vegetable, whose roots, stalks, leaves and seeds can be used in preparing soups, sauces, salads, and can be eaten raw or cooked.

Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks. Celery is a herbaceous plant, in the botanical family Apiaceae, which also includes parsley, carrots, dill, and fennel. The plants that are cultivated for their roots, known as celeriac, are a distinct variety from those that are cultivated for their stalks. They’re the same genus and species, though. The celery plant produces long, fibrous stalks that are crunchy, juicy, and aromatic, with a grassy, sweet, spicy flavor. Celery is also a common ingredient in soups, casseroles, stuffings, salads, slaws, braised and roasted meat dishes, and stir-frys. As an aside, botanically speaking, the entire “bunch” of celery is referred to as the stalk, while each individual section, what most of us would call a single stalk, is actually called a rib.

In practice, however, no recipe that calls for one stalk of celery is asking you to use the entire bunch of celery. Most dishes that include celery don’t necessarily feature it as the primary ingredient of the dish, but rather as a supporting player. Cooking celery brings out the sweetness and eliminates its slight bitterness. One way to prepare celery that does feature it as the main ingredient is braised celery.

To prepare it, you’d wash and trim the individual stalks as described above, then slice them diagonally into bite-sized chunks. Celery has a grassy, herbaceous, taste with alternately peppery, bitter, and salty notes. Cooking tends to mellow the intensity of its flavor, particularly its bitterness, while enhancing its innate sweetness. In most recipes, celery plays at best a supporting role.

But here are a few recipes that feature celery. Celery is widely available at supermarket produce sections year-round, as well as at farmers’ markets. Celery will go limp if it isn’t refrigerated. Your best bet is to remove it from the plastic produce bag you brought it home in, remove the band holding the bunch together, wrap the bunch loosely in paper towels, and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, on the humid setting, where it will stay fresh for about a week. Celery Salt: Stodgy Spice or Sublime Seasoning?

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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Native to the Mediterranean areas and the Middle East, celery was used as a flavouring by the ancient Greeks and Romans and as a medicine by the ancient Chinese. Celery with large, fleshy, succulent, upright leafstalks, or petioles, was developed in the late 18th century. The stringiness that characterizes most celery has been eliminated from some varieties.