Celery

Health Benefits

What the composition shows. The aroma characteristic of celery comes from phthalide-type essential oils. The leaves contain flavonoids such as apigenin and luteolin, while the stalks carry potassium and dietary fiber. That is as far as the compositional analysis goes.

Extract research is not the same as food. Much of the research on celery works with extracts made from the seed, or with isolated compounds, which is a different condition from eating the stalks and leaves as a vegetable. Results from extract research cannot be carried straight over to the food.

An isolated compound and a medicine. 3-n-butylphthalide, a main aroma compound in celery, has been isolated and synthesized and developed separately as a pharmaceutical. A medicine uses a purified compound at a set dose, which is not the same thing as eating the vegetable.

What has been confirmed in people. For celery eaten as a vegetable, what has been confirmed in people amounts to its composition, its water content and its low calorie load. Beyond that, nothing has been established in modern research.

Nutrition

• Potassium (Abundant) — A mineral common in vegetables
• Apiin and essential oils (Aromatic compounds) — The source of celery's distinctive scent
• Dietary fiber (Abundant) — A carbohydrate that is not digested

Apigenin & luteolin Celery leaves contain the flavonoids apigenin and luteolin. A large body of laboratory research has accumulated on the two compounds, but most of it applies the isolated compound to cells or animals, a different condition from eating the leaves as a vegetable.

Potassium Celery stalks contain potassium. Its sodium content is also relatively high for a vegetable, but potassium is present in greater amounts.

3-n-Butylphthalide (3nB) An essential-oil constituent that creates the aroma and flavor characteristic of celery. An isolated and synthesized form has been developed separately as a pharmaceutical, but a medicine using a purified compound at a set dose is not the same thing as eating the vegetable.

Furanocoumarins The furanocoumarins common to plants of the carrot family (Apiaceae) are detected in celery as well. Where the juice is left on skin that then takes long sun exposure, a photosensitive reaction has been reported, with reddening or blister-like irritation, and it turns up most often in people who trim large quantities at a time. Washing the juice off hands and forearms after trimming is the safer habit. Stalks that have gone soft or discolored with fungal rot are known to build up more of the compound, so they are discarded rather than used.

Vitamins K, A and C, folate & dietary fiber Vitamins K, A and C together with folate and dietary fiber are present in balanced amounts. Both the leaves and the stalks carry these nutrients, so using the leaves rather than discarding them is worthwhile.

Sodium Celery is relatively high in sodium for a vegetable, reaching about 80 mg per 100 g. Potassium is present in still greater amounts.

Pairings

○ Carrot and onion — Finely diced celery, carrot, and onion sauteed in butter form a mirepoix, the foundational combination of French cooking. It serves as the base for nearly every stew and soup, with the three vegetables blending into a deep, savory foundation of flavor. Carrot · Onion

○ Apple and carrot — Variations on ABC juice, made by blending apple, celery, and carrot, or apple, beet, and celery, have become a classic among antioxidant detox drinks. Celery's clean flavor tidies up the sweetness of the other ingredients. Carrot

○ Tomato and cucumber — A Bloody Mary cocktail or a green smoothie that uses tomato, cucumber, and celery is the combination that best showcases celery's aroma. The umami of tomato and the coolness of cucumber give the celery's fragrance something to lean on. Cucumber · Tomato

○ Peanut butter — "Ants on a Log," celery sticks filled with peanut butter and topped with raisins, is a classic American kids' snack. The protein and fat of the peanut butter and the sweetness of the raisins contrast with the crisp, cooling crunch of the celery. Peanut

○ Blue cheese and cheddar — Serving celery sticks with a blue cheese or cheddar dip naturally rounds out the nutritional balance. The cheese's protein and fat complement celery's vitamins and minerals, and the contrast in flavor is interesting too.

△ Apiaceae allergy — stop at the first itch or swelling — Celery is an uncommon but recognised food allergen. The European Union requires it to be declared on packaged foods, though it is not on the Korean mandatory list. Anyone who has reacted to carrot family vegetables such as water dropwort, carrot or parsley, or to birch or mugwort pollen, should start with a very small amount. If the lips, tongue or throat itch or swell while eating, or hives or stomach pain follow, stop at once. Trouble breathing or a swelling face calls for emergency care without delay. Reactions have been reported to cooked celery and to celery seed and celery powder as well, so avoiding it raw is not enough.

Varieties

• Stalk celery (the Western type) (Transplant) — Thick leaf stalks, the kind shops sell. Water it steadily or stalks turn stringy.
• Chinese celery (Seed) — Thin hollow stalks with a stronger scent. Used in stir-fries and soups, not raw.
• Leaf celery (Seed) — Builds no thick stalk; the leaves are picked instead. Grows fine in a balcony pot.
• Celeriac (root celery) (Seed) — Grown for the round root, not the stalks. Seedlings are rare here, so sow seed.