What Is Celery and How Can I Use It?

Celery seeds are the tiny tan-brown seeds of the celery plant, used as a spice rather than a vegetable. Each one is barely the size of a poppy seed, but the flavor is concentrated: the green, savory taste of a celery stalk dialed up, with a bitter, slightly peppery edge.

Botanically these are the dried fruit of wild celery, a close relative of the celery you eat in stalks. A little goes a long way, which is the single most important thing to know about them.

Celery stalks are the long, ribbed green ribs that make up a head of celery, the part you chop for cooking and snap raw for snacks. Crisp and watery with a grassy, faintly salty bite, they are less a star than a backbone.

Think of them as the quiet aromatic base under countless soups and stews. The parent celery page covers the seeds and the celery salt made from them.

A head of celery is a bunch of these stalks growing from a shared base, tightest and palest at the center. The inner ribs are tender and mild; the outer ones are tougher and more stringy.

Celery salt  is a flavored salt used as a food seasoning, made from ground seeds, which may come from celery or its relative lovage. These ground seeds are mixed with salt, either table salt or sea salt.

Celery salt is an ingredient of the Bloody Mary cocktail and the Caesar cocktail. It is also commonly used to season the famous Chicago-style hot dog, salads and stews. It can also be used to liven up a coleslaw.

Celery salt can be made at home as well as purchased in a supermarket. To make celery seed salt, place seeds inside of a coffee grinder. Alternately, seeds can be placed inside of a mortar and petal, and ground until a fine powder is produced.

Pulse seeds until they are finely chopped, and place seeds inside of a tightly sealed container. Next, measure out one tablespoon of seeds to two tablespoons of salt. Finally, add the mixture to asalt shaker. Celery seeds can be purchased in any spice store or supermarket. When making homemadecelery seed salt, be sure to purchase whole celery seeds.

Celery leaves are the feathery green tops that grow from the stalks, the part most people lop off and throw away. That's a waste. They carry a more concentrated celery flavor than the stalks themselves, closer to an herb than a vegetable.

The leaves come in two shades. The pale, tender inner leaves from the heart are mild and good raw, while the darker outer leaves are stronger and a touch bitter, better cooked into something. Both taste distinctly of celery, with a green, peppery edge.