Crossword Dictionary
CELERY
Celery, (Apium graveolens), herbaceous plant of the parsley family (Apiaceae). Celery is usually eaten cooked as a vegetable or as a delicate flavouring in a variety of stocks, casseroles, and soups. In the United States raw celery is served by itself or with spreads or dips as an appetizer and in salads. The tiny seedlike fruits, known as celery seed, resemble the plant itself in taste and aroma and are used as a seasoning, particularly in soups and pickles.
Native to the Mediterranean areas and the Middle East, celery was used as a flavouring by the ancient Greeks and Romans and as a medicine by the ancient Chinese. The ancient forms resembled smallage, or wild celery. Celery with large, fleshy, succulent, upright leafstalks, or petioles, was developed in the late 18th century. The stringiness that characterizes most celery has been eliminated from some varieties.
celery salt
celery salt - n
ground celery seed and salt
Celery salt, which is made with crushed celery seeds and salt, is a common food seasoning used in savory dishes to add an extra layer of flavoring.
Celery salt tastes a lot like normal salt at first, but its slight aroma of celery becomes more prominent on the tongue, thanks to the crushed celery seed that's been mixed in. The seasoning has been described as having a mildly peppery bite, a green and grassy flavor, and as having a slightly bitter finish. A lot like celery itself, celery salt's flavor isn't very assertive but it's certainly distinctive.