Celery salt is a
seasoned salt
Seasoned salt is a blend of table salt, herbs, spices, other flavourings, and sometimes monosodium glutamate (MSG). It is sold in supermarkets and is commonly used in fish and chip shops and other take-away food shops. Seasoned salt is often ...
used to flavour food. The primary ingredient is
table salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as ro ...
and the flavouring agent is ground seeds from
celery
Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times.
The original wild ...
or its relative,
lovage.
It is also sometimes produced using dried celery or seed
oleoresin
Oleoresins are semi-solid extracts composed of resin and essential or fatty oil, obtained by evaporation of the solvents used for their production. The oleoresin of conifers is known as crude turpentine or gum turpentine, which consists of oil o ...
.
Additives
Celery salt normally contains an
anticaking agent
An anticaking agent is an additive placed in powdered or granulated materials, such as table salt or confectioneries, to prevent the formation of lumps ( caking) and for easing packaging, transport, flowability, and consumption. Caking mechanism ...
such as
silicon dioxide
Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundan ...
[ or ]calcium silicate
Calcium silicate can refer to several silicates of calcium including:
*CaO·SiO2, wollastonite (CaSiO3)
*2CaO·SiO2, larnite (Ca2SiO4)
*3CaO·SiO2, alite or (Ca3SiO5)
*3CaO·2SiO2, (Ca3Si2O7).
This article focuses on Ca2SiO4, also known as calci ...
.[
As a vegetable, celery seeds have potassium as the dominant ion over sodium (ninefold more).
]
Uses
Celery salt is an ingredient of the Bloody Mary cocktail and the Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...
cocktail. It is also reported to be an ingredient in KFC
KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's se ...
's secret spice mix. It is also commonly used to season the Chicago-style hot dog
A Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago dog, or Chicago red hot is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pick ...
, the New York System wiener, salads, coleslaw and stews. It is a primary ingredient in Old Bay brand seasoning.
Because sodium nitrate
Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt (chemistry), salt is also known as Chile saltpeter (large deposits of which were historically mined in Chile) to distinguish it from ordi ...
, a chemical that serves as a food preservative, occurs naturally in celery, celery salt is often used by food producers to prevent spoilage while avoiding listing sodium nitrate on the ingredients list directly..
See also
* Celery powder
* List of edible salts
References
{{Salt topics
Edible salt
Celery