 If you lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1847 and wanted to popularize a new celery variety, Pascal, how would you market it? The winning answer was: Pass it out for free to train passengers traveling through Kalamazoo. Pascal celery soon became--and today remains--our second most important salad crop. Celery and its close relative parsley were once so similar that they were called by the same name in classical times.
Health Benefits: This vegetable has one of the highest sodium contents of all vegetables and treats diseases involving chemical imbalances. It is said to help bring energy up and is good if one is feeling stuck or heavy.
 Raw celery is flavorful and wonderfully crunchy, and it's a great vehicle for dips or fillings like peanut butter or cream cheese. Celery can also be sautéed and used to flavor soups, stews, and sauces. A bunch or stalk of celery consists of a dozen or so individual ribs, with the tender innermost ribs called the celery heart.
 Celeriac (Apium graveolens Rapaceum Group) (also known as 'celery root,' 'turnip-rooted celery' or 'knob celery') is a specially selected cultivar group of celery, grown as a root vegetable for its large and well-developed taproot rather than for its stem and leaves. The root is used when it is about 10-12 cm in diameter, or the size of a large potato. Celeriac may be used raw or cooked. Celeriac has a tough, ridged, outer surface, which is usually cut off before use, because it is not smooth enough to peel. It has the flavor of celery, so it is often used on its own or as a flavoring in soups and stews; it can also be mashed or used in casseroles, gratins and baked dishes.
from Rebecca Wood's The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia |
