Celery Seed in our A-Z (Page 5) - Cooking Index
Celery seed is the dried fruit of the Apium graveolens which is related, but not identical, to the vegetable celery plant. The tiny brown seeds have a celery-like flavor and aroma.
Used in pickling, vegetables, salad dressings, breads, soups, and tomato items. Celery seed is used in celery salt, bouquet garni, pickling and curry spice blends, and the ethnic cuisines of Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Orient. Celery Seed is useful for adding a celery flavor to foods when the "crunch" of celery is not desired. Stir some into clam, potato, or other creamy soups. Add a pinch to blue cheese dressings and spoon the dressing over ripe tomatoes.
Celery Seed tastes similar to table celery, with its warm, slightly bitter, aromatic flavour.
Celery is widely grown in Europe, USA, the near East and many other temperate regions worldwide. Celery Seed and table celery are grown from a domesticated variety of a wild plant known as "smallage." Smallage was grown by Greeks and Romans for medicinal qualities.
Would-be medieval magicians used to put celery seeds in their shoes, hoping this would help them fly. Needless to say it didn't.
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