Celery
Although celery has been native to Europe since the Middle Ages, the umbellifer is still waiting for its big discovery. However, celery, a variant of real celery, is really worth a gourmet trip. The light green sticks are ideal for salads and colorful vegetable platters or as an accompaniment to meat dishes and soups. With their fine, spicy aroma, they give many dishes the finishing touch.
celery and celeriac
In addition to celery, real celery has two other variants, celeriac, which is very popular in soups and stews, and cut or spiced celery. The leaves of the cut celery are used to flavor dishes.
Celery: ingredients
Celery is one of the vegetables with the fewest calories:  100 grams of celery have just 15 calories. The low calorie content is due to the fact that celery consists of over 90 percent water.
In addition to the large amount of water, celery also has important vitamins and, above all, important minerals . It is particularly rich in:
In addition, celery contains numerous secondary plant substances,  which are not only responsible for the typical aroma, but also have a positive effect on the entire metabolism  .
effect of celery
Due to the high potassium content, celery is diuretic and therefore helpful in gout  and rheumatism. In addition, celery is often used for detoxification because of its diuretic effect. If you suffer from kidney disease, it is better to avoid celery for this reason.
In addition, celery is said to have a relaxing and calming effect  . The healthy vegetable should also be able to prevent the development of high blood pressure  and edema.
Allergy sufferers should be careful when eating celery
Allergy sufferers should be careful when eating celery, because a cross -allergy can occur when eating celery, especially in those who are allergic to birch pollen and mugwort pollen .
Recipe for celery soup
The following recipe for a soup with celery is easy to cook and tastes delicious.
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 1Â carrot
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 small onion
- 300 g mealy potatoes
- 1 clove of garlic
- 700 ml vegetable stock
- 1 Potato
- 1 cup sour cream
- Salt pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped marjoram
- Marjoram leaves
Preparation of the celery soup
Slice the carrot and celery. Tender stalks only need to be washed before consumption. Sturdy, thick stems taste better peeled.
Dice the onion, roughly dice the potatoes and place in a solid cooking container in the steamer. Crush and add the garlic cloves. Pour vegetable broth over it. Grate the potatoes and pour over the vegetables. Cook at 100°C for 15 minutes.
Then add sour cream to the soup, season with salt and pepper, add herbs and heat again in the steamer at 100°C for a minute. Garnish the finished soup with marjoram leaves. If you like, you can also serve bread cubes that have been roasted in a pan with a little butter.
If you don’t have a steamer  , put all the chopped ingredients in a saucepan. Pour in the vegetable broth and grate the potatoes over it. Cook on the hob over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Then add sour cream to the soup, season with salt, pepper and herbs.
Celery: Vegetable with history
The leaves and flowers of wild celery have been used since ancient Egypt, as well as by the Greeks and Romans. There was something mystical about the spicy vegetables. Celery served as a grave good and grave plant. The beautiful leaf, which resembles flat-leaf parsley, was also used, like the bay leaf, as a wreath of flowers for award ceremonies at games.
In the Middle Ages, botanists recognized the healing effects of flowers and leaves. The population believed in an aphrodisiac and a slightly mood-enhancing effect. Celery was only grown in monastery and court gardens.
Celery from a botanical point of view
The stalk celery, also known as white celery, stalk celery or stick celery, has long, fleshy leaf stalks and a small tuberous root. Only the stalks are eaten. They are pale white to yellowish light green in color when fresh.
When you bend, you break immediately. Celery sticks that sag are superimposed.