Modern celery is a deeply modified version of a wild plant, resulting from centuries of deliberate human intervention through selective breeding. While the original species, Apium graveolens, is entirely natural, the modern variety is an artifact shaped by farmers and gardeners over hundreds of years. The journey from a bitter, coastal weed to the mild, fleshy vegetable found in supermarkets is a remarkable story of agricultural transformation.
Celery’s Wild Ancestor
The wild form of celery, botanically known as Apium graveolens, is a perennial or biennial herb native to the Mediterranean basin and parts of Eurasia. This ancestor is often referred to as smallage and grows naturally in moist, saline environments, such as coastal marshes and brackish wetlands. The plant is characterized by a strong, intense aroma and a flavor that is significantly more pungent, bitter, and sometimes salty compared to the cultivated versions.
The wild stalks are thin, fibrous, and often hollow, lacking the substantial, fleshy structure of the modern vegetable. Early historical uses, dating back to ancient Egypt and Greece, focused on the plant’s strong flavor and potential medicinal properties, rather than its consumption as a primary vegetable. Celery was used in funeral garlands in Egypt and as a culinary herb in Greece, highlighting its early symbolic and flavoring significance.
The History of Domestication
The transition of Apium graveolens from a medicinal herb to a vegetable began during the Middle Ages, with systematic cultivation starting around the 14th century in Italy. Early domestication involved selecting plants with traits that made them more palatable, shifting the plant’s purpose from seasoning or remedy to a food source. Farmers intentionally chose plants that exhibited less bitterness and had slightly thicker petioles (the leaf stalks we consume).
This selective process focused on modifying the plant’s chemical composition to reduce compounds that contributed to the harsh flavor. The goal was to produce solid, succulent stalks that were sweeter and milder. By the 17th century, Italian breeders had made significant progress, developing early cultivars recognizable as a vegetable. The ‘Pascal’ celery variety, which dominates North American markets, represents the culmination of this effort, having significantly stouter and more uniform leaf stems than its wild relatives.
Cultivation techniques also played a role in the domestication process, particularly the practice of blanching. Blanching involves covering the celery stalks with soil or boards to exclude light as they grow, which prevents the development of chlorophyll. This process reduces the green color and diminishes the strong, bitter flavor characteristic of sun-exposed celery. The continual selection for reduced bitterness, increased petiole thickness, and water retention over centuries is what physically and chemically differentiates the modern, crisp stalk celery from its wild ancestor.
Specialized Forms of Cultivated Celery
The extent of human influence on the wild species is most clearly demonstrated by the development of three distinct cultivated varieties, all originating from the same Apium graveolens ancestor. Each variety represents a specific focus of human selection on a different part of the plant.
Stalk Celery, belonging to the Dulce Group, is the most common form, with selection focused almost exclusively on producing long, thick, fleshy, and crisp petioles. This is the variety most widely consumed in the United States and Western Europe, prized for its texture and mild flavor.
Celeriac, or root celery (Rapaceum Group), represents selection focused on the enlargement of the root structure. This variety is grown for its large, bulbous, edible hypocotyl, which is a swollen stem base popular in European cuisine for its earthy, nutty flavor.
The third form is Leaf Celery, or smallage, which is categorized as the Secalinum Group. This variety is closest to the wild type, having slender, often hollow petioles, but is selected for its highly aromatic and flavorful leaves. Leaf celery is primarily grown for its concentrated flavor, which is used in soups, stews, and as a seasoning, particularly in Asian and Mediterranean cooking.