celery stick

Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) is a herbaceous biennial plant in the Apiaceae family, native to the Mediterranean region and cultivated worldwide for its edible stalks. The plant produces long, pale green to dark green petioles (leaf stalks) that grow in bunches from a compact base, each stalk featuring characteristic ridges and a crisp, fibrous texture. Celery has a distinctive herbaceous, slightly bitter, and mildly peppery flavor with subtle earthy undertones. The plant's aromatic compounds—primarily limonene and selinene—give it its characteristic smell. Common commercial varieties include Pascal celery (mild and tender) and Celeriac (grown for its root bulb rather than stalks).

Celery is a foundational aromatic vegetable used globally in mirepoix (with onions and carrots), soffritto, and other flavor bases for soups, stews, and stocks. In French cuisine, it is a component of court-bouillon and classic sauce preparations. The crisp stalks are eaten raw as a vegetable stick for crudités platters, paired with dips, or in salads and slaws. Celery leaves add herbaceous notes to soups and broths. In American cuisine, celery is essential to chicken salad, tuna salad, and creole cooking (as part of the "holy trinity" with onions and bell peppers). It is also braised as a side dish, incorporated into stuffings, and used in Asian stir-fries. The seeds are dried and used as a spice.