Celeriac

Often called just plain “celery root, ” celeriac, Apium graveolens var. rapaceum, is indeed the enlarged, spheroid root of the celery grown for its stalks, A. graveolens var. dulce. The first written references to it date from the sixteenth century in Europe and suggest that this variety was first cultivated in the Old World, perhaps in the Arab world. Celeriac, once peeled and sliced into matchsticks or very thin disks, can be eaten raw in salads. This sounds simpler than it is, since the gnarly, softball-sized root takes more care and heft with the peeler than a potato.