This plant is specialized that all plant parts are strongly aromatic more over leaves and root; both are used as vegetable or spice. Celery fruit though uncommon, are a strong spice. This plant belongs to Apiaceae family (parsley family). This plant has been cultivated in the Mediterranean region especially in Syria since at least 3000 years.

Main Constituents

Celery oil is dominated by terpenes, mostly limonene (70 to 80%) and the sesquiterpenes beta-selinene (10%) and humulene; but its characteristic fragrance is caused by phthalides (3-butylphthalid and its 5,6-dihydro derivate sedanenolid), although the latter occur only in traces.

The furo-coumarine bergaptene is a potent photosensitizer and may cause photo-dermatitis (skin irritation by light) in field workers.

Today, celery is a popular herb and vegetable in Europe; the leaves are sometimes chopped and used as a garnish but more frequently cooked in soups or sauces to improve the taste. Additionally, the cooked root can be eaten as a vegetable. In England and the US, the variety of celery with fleshy stems is more popular than root celery (also called celeriac); the latter is more commonly found on the European continent. Celery plays quite an important part in the Creol cookery of New Orleans, where celery stalks show up frequently in dishes like gumbo.

Also Syrian dishes is furnished with Celery for its strong aroma and their special use with vegetable soup. Celery fruits (often called celery seeds) have a similar, but much stronger aroma. They can be ground and mixed with salt (celery salt, though industrially it is often made from celery root extract) to make dosage easier. The fruits are slightly bitter, which limits their usage; but even so they are a great addition to cooked vegetables.