Celery

The crisp, mild-flavored celery eaten in the early twenty-first century is a descendent of a bitter wild celery (Apium graveolens), called smallage, that is indigenous to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. In the ancient Mediterranean, the seeds and roots of this plant were used by the Greeks and Romans, mainly as spices and flavorings. In the seventeenth century, the bitterness was bred out, and the stalks and leaves began to be served in salads and as cooked vegetables in Europe. This improved variety was grown in England by 1644 but was not introduced into America until the following century.