Celery is having a moment. Again.

 

Celery juice

 

Actually, it’s celery juice that’s in the limelight this time around. Its aficionados claim that juicing and drinking celery is good for everything from psoriasis to strep to acne to snake bites. Okay, I made the last one up. But I’m skeptical about all the celery juice health claims making the news now. I think they’re hyperbole, just as similar claims about pomegranate juice, quinoa, oatmilk, and kale are. I believe in consuming a variety of foods, not one miracle ingredient.  Admittedly, I’m not a nutritionist; but neither are all the people writing about the health benefits of celery juice. If you like it, by all means drink it. But I’ll continue to take my celery straight — leaves, stalks and all.

 

A stylish vase of lush, leafy celery.

 

Celery has gone through several popularity phases. Its initial big moment came back in the nineteenth century, when eight-to-twelve-inch tall slender pedestaled vases filled with stalks of celery adorned elegant dining tables. 

An 1820s pressed glass celery vase attributed to the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company.

 

You can still see the vases in museums, antique stores, and online outlets like eBay. They’re made of cut or pressed glass in elegant patterns that often suggest leaves or similar natural motifs. Today, most people buy them to use as flower vases. But vases filled with leafy celery were a mark of prestige for Victorian households. Both the celery and the vases were expensive, so if you could afford them, you wanted to show them off.

Blown, pattern-molded celery vase from 1850.

 

Green and lush, celery adorns the table in this ad for tomato soup.

 

By the latter part of the century, mass-produced vases made them less expensive and, as a result, less prestigious.At about the same time, easier-to-grow varieties made celery more affordable and commonplace. People still liked celery, but they served it in long, narrow, flat dishes that reflected its lower status. Celery had become so common that even though you might want to serve it, you knew better than to show it off.

Celery became the star of what was called the relish tray in the first half of the twentieth century.  Cooks cut lengths of celery, stuffed them with cream cheese, and sprinkled them with paprika. The creamy cheese and crunchy celery were a perfect pairing. Olives stuffed with pimentos and radishes cut to (sort of) look like roses would be arranged on the plate alongside the celery for an assortment of nibbles. The assortment was one of the most popular appetizers of the era.

 

Relish tray with sections for celery, olives, and radishes or other small veggies.

 

At about the same time, celery had another peak moment. It became a dieter’s friend. It was said, by those who indulged in wishful thinking, that the process of eating celery burned more calories that the celery itself. All that crunching and chewing meant that if you ate lots of celery, you could have a brownie for dessert without gaining weight. If only that were true. But the idea gave celery another moment to shine.

 

Celery also because a kids’ treat called “ants on a log,” consisting of celery stuffed with peanut butter and topped with raisins, a combination I find hard to understand. But to each his/her own.

 

Ants on a log

 

When Bloody Marys and brunches became an inseparable couple, bartenders dressed up the drinks with a stalk of celery as a garnish. The Bloody mix usually included a pinch of celery salt as well. Perhaps the addition of the veggie assuaged the consciences of those who felt guilty about early-day drinking. But the leafy greens of a celery stalk also made it impossible to drink a Bloody without a straw, and there was seldom a place to put the celery if you took it out and didn’t eat it all immediately. Maybe hold the celery here.

 

Jamie Oliver’s take on a Bloody Mary

 

There are so many other ways to eat celery. The leaves are a wonderful addition to a green salad as is chopped, raw celery. Celery is a key player in the flavor combination called “mirepoix” consisting of carrots, onions, and celery that French cooks use to make sauces or braise meats. Celery soup is excellent, especially when its garnished with finely chopped celery leaves. There are any number of terrific recipes for cooked celery available. Stuffing celery stalks with cream, goat, or bleu cheese is still a good idea. Maybe sprinkle it with Aleppo pepper instead of paprika for an update. 

Celery is a versatile vegetable no matter how you eat - or drink - it. Enjoy it, just don’t expect miracles.