Tag: Apium graveolens

Before becoming the mild, crisp vegetable we know today, wild celery, or smallage, was known in ancient Greece for its more fibrous stalks and medicinal uses, appearing in funeral wreaths as a chthonian symbol. This history of cultivation and selective breeding has led to the development of several distinct varieties, prompting the common question: what is the other name for celery?.

Originating in the Mediterranean region and parts of Asia, wild celery has been used for thousands of years as a spice and for medicinal purposes. Today, celery seed is also called smallage or goes by its scientific name, *Apium graveolens*, and is valued for its concentrated, earthy flavor in a variety of dishes.

Mentioned in Homer's epic poem *The Odyssey* as "selinon" around 800 B.C., the ancestor of celeriac was a wild plant with medicinal uses in ancient times. So, where is celeriac from, and how did this wild herb evolve into the knobby root vegetable known today?

Did you know celeriac, also known as celery root, and the familiar green celery stalk are both members of the same plant species? The intriguing answer to the question, are celeriac and celery related?, lies in centuries of selective breeding that created two very different-looking vegetables.