Celery root is not your grandmother’s old-fashioned celery that you stuff with cream cheese and munch on as a quick and wholesome snack or plop into your Bloody Mary at brunch.

Instead, celery root, which is a vegetable used only for its roots, is a cousin to those stalks known as celery.

What Is Celery Root?

Celery root, also known as celeriac, is a thick tuberous root, spherical in shape, with brown skin and white internal flesh. Other names for celery root include turnip-rooted celery and knob celery.

Celeriac is a special hybrid root that is cultivated for its enlarged roots. It is different than the more popular celery that most people add to mayonnaise-based salads or top with cream cheese for a snack. Celeriac is a completely different species of plant.

It’s not as widely used as some other more well-known root vegetables like jicama, turnips, carrots, beets, and ginger because celeriac is harder to prepare and clean. It is a typical winter vegetable that looks quite impressive to cook because of its size. Although it is best to use celery root within a week of purchase, it can be stored in the refrigerator for a few months as long as it doesn’t dry out. Once peeled, keep celeriac in water or rub half a lemon on the flesh to prevent oxidation. The outer surface should be sliced off before using.

How to Clean Celeriac

How to Use Celeriac

Celeriac has a hazelnut-lemony taste. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Because it has a celery taste, it makes a nice addition to soups or stews. It can also be mashed and added to casseroles.

A very popular French recipe is “celery remoulade” which consists of freshly grated celeriac mixed with a homemade mayonnaise. When cooked with other ingredients, celeriac will tend to take the taste of the ingredients it is being cooked with. Unlike other root vegetables, celery root contains very little starch. It brings only 18 calories per 100g so it makes it an ideal vegetable to eat while on a diet. Celeriac is also low in sugar but contains vitamin K and phosphorous.