View All Spice Definitions

Celery Seed

Information for Celery Seed

Often referred to as a culinary vegetable, celery seed is botanically known as Apium graveolens. Celery seeds come from the celery plant that features segmented leaves and white-petaled flowers. These flowers produce small celery seeds that are tan and dark brown in color. The seeds have a strong but not overpowering smell.

Purposely grown for its faintly fragrant and flavorful seeds, the celery plant appears to have originated in the Middle Eastern regions. During ancient times, celery seeds have been used in India's Ayurvedic medicine to cure colds, arthritis, water retention, and weak digestion.

Around 30 A.D., the seeds were used to alleviate bodily pain as chronicled by the Roman encyclopaedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus. Today, aside from performing as a uterine stimulant, celery seeds act as a flavor enhancer to add to soups, dressings, pickling mixes, and cocktails. They are often incorporated into many of the Cajun and French dishes.

Celery seeds are also full of volatile oils, anti-oxidants, linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), and flavonoids. When it comes to availability, celery seeds can be purchased in various forms such as fresh or dried seeds, extracts, and oil capsules.



Photo Credit: The Adventures of Kristin & Adam