Many sauces include celery. It's not a flavour I'm particularly keen on, particularly in sauces so I'm wondering why it's included. Is it included simply as a flavour or does it serve some other purpose?
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2My wife absolutely hates carrots and celery by themselves, but actually loves food I cook with mirepoix. If you haven't tried using it in a mirepoix I'd suggest giving it a shot just to see how the combination works because it does act a little differently combined with other things than by itself.– stephennmcdonaldCommented Oct 20, 2010 at 20:30
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I couldn't agree more I'm not a fan of celery as a flavour on it's own but balanced properly in a dish it just works.– vwigginsCommented Oct 21, 2010 at 11:46
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2 Answers
Celery is an aromatic, and 1/3 of a mirepoix. It's used for the base flavor of a lot of French and Cajun/Creole cuisine. It doesn't serve any important chemical role that I'm aware of, so you can omit or substitute it if you really don't like the flavor.
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6Right, one of the 4 aromatic herbs, as I was taught. Leek, Celery, Parsley and Carrots. Commented Oct 20, 2010 at 20:13
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3None of those are herbs.– danielCommented Oct 20, 2010 at 21:53
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When used in sauces as a building block (e.g. mirepoix, soffrito, the Louisianian Trinity), celery is used to provide only flavour. These flavours come from terpenes which provide aromas of citrus, pine, and (to me) grass, as well as a pleasing bitterness. Other flavours are provided by phthalides, which celery shares with walnuts.
Research indicates that the same phthalides, while largely flavourless, enhance umami flavours in food. In addition, they seem to have some health benefits.