SC - Stefan's files for Sept.

[Mark Harris]

Hi, Katerine here.

Lord Ras writes:

>Celery is not a root vegetable. Indeed, IMHO, celery was not eaten as a
>vegetable in Europe except on rare occasions because it was considered as a
>medicinal herb.

There's substantiation for this belief in Platina.  Quoting from the E.B.
Andrews translation:

	Celery is planted at the same time as mint.  It is called
	"apium" because in ancient Greece the winners of contests
	were crowned with it and "apex" signifies highest honor,
	or else because bees (apes) feed with pleasure on its
	flowers.  They say Hercules was given a crown of celery,
	poplar, and wild olive.  The roots are marvelously effective
	against poisons and, because it is bitter, it is more
	suitable as a medicine than as a food.  There are those
	who call this herb ambrosia.

I've never seen it in the English culinary repertoire, though it may appear
in the 16th C, which I'm not nearly so familiar with.

Cheers,

- -- Katerine/Terry

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