Celeriac
Encyclopedia
Celeriac is also known as celery root, turnip-rooted celery or knob celery. It is a kind
of celery
, grown as a root vegetable
primarily for its large and bulbous hypocotyl
rather than for its stem
and leaves
. The swollen hypocotyl is typically used when it is about 10–12 cm in diameter; about the size of a large potato
. Unlike other root vegetables, which store a large amount of starch, celery root is only about 5-6% starch by weight.
Celeriac may be used raw or cooked. It has a tough, furrowed, outer surface which is usually sliced off before use because it is too rough to peel. Celeriac has a celery flavour, and is often used as a flavouring in soups and stews; it can also be used on its own, usually mashed, or used in casserole
s, gratin
s and baked dishes. It can be roasted like a potato, giving it a crispy edge.
The hollow stalk
of the upper plant is sometimes cut into drinking straw lengths, rinsed, and used in the serving of tomato-based drinks such as the Bloody Mary cocktail
. The tomato juice is lightly flavoured with celery as it passes through the stalk.
Celeriac is not as widely used as some other root vegetables, perhaps because it is harder to prepare and clean. Like other root vegetables celeriac is pretty good at taking on the flavors of the dishes in which it is used as an ingredient. For example it can be hard to discern from a potato or a parsnip in a dish such as ossobuco.
There are a number of cultivar
s available, especially in Europe
. Among them are 'Prinz', 'Diamant', 'Ibis', and 'Kojak', which all received Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit designation in the trial in 2000.
Celeriac normally keeps well and should last three to four months if stored between 0°C (32°F) and 5°C (41°F) and not allowed to dry out.
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
of celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
, grown as a root vegetable
Root vegetable
Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Here "root" means any underground part of a plant.Root vegetables are generally storage organs, enlarged to store energy in the form of carbohydrates. They differ in the concentration and the balance between sugars, starches, and other types of...
primarily for its large and bulbous hypocotyl
Hypocotyl
The hypocotyl is the stem of a germinating seedling, found below the cotyledons and above the radicle .-Dicots:...
rather than for its stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
and leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
. The swollen hypocotyl is typically used when it is about 10–12 cm in diameter; about the size of a large potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
. Unlike other root vegetables, which store a large amount of starch, celery root is only about 5-6% starch by weight.
Celeriac may be used raw or cooked. It has a tough, furrowed, outer surface which is usually sliced off before use because it is too rough to peel. Celeriac has a celery flavour, and is often used as a flavouring in soups and stews; it can also be used on its own, usually mashed, or used in casserole
Casserole
A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan...
s, gratin
Gratin
Gratin is a widespread culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind...
s and baked dishes. It can be roasted like a potato, giving it a crispy edge.
The hollow stalk
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
of the upper plant is sometimes cut into drinking straw lengths, rinsed, and used in the serving of tomato-based drinks such as the Bloody Mary cocktail
Bloody Mary (cocktail)
A Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Peri-Peri Sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt...
. The tomato juice is lightly flavoured with celery as it passes through the stalk.
Celeriac is not as widely used as some other root vegetables, perhaps because it is harder to prepare and clean. Like other root vegetables celeriac is pretty good at taking on the flavors of the dishes in which it is used as an ingredient. For example it can be hard to discern from a potato or a parsnip in a dish such as ossobuco.
There are a number of cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s available, especially in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Among them are 'Prinz', 'Diamant', 'Ibis', and 'Kojak', which all received Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit designation in the trial in 2000.
Celeriac normally keeps well and should last three to four months if stored between 0°C (32°F) and 5°C (41°F) and not allowed to dry out.