The History of Celery Salt

Celery was first domesticated in Italy in the 17th century and was consumed as a food in France before spreading to other parts of Europe. After it was brought to North America in the 18th century, people noticed that it grew well in marshy swamp areas such as Chicago, where German and Belgian immigrants began to cultivate it. In fact, the city’s Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods were sometimes referred to as the “celery capital of the world” during the late 19th century. Celery emerged as a trendy “health food” around the same time and became widely popular. Since people didn’t always have access to the fresh vegetable itself, celery salt was created to meet the demand. This occured around 1872, reportedly in Cincinnati. Early versions of celery salt were made using the root, which was mashed and dried, then mixed into the salt. It became a popular seasoning and appeared as an ingredient in many recipes from the 1870s. A more standardized version of celery salt made with a simple mix of salt and celery seeds was patented in 1936. While celery salt has been used in a variety of dishes, the most famous remains the Chicago-style hot dog — it is thought that celery salt was added to the recipe sometime during the first half of the 20th century. Today, celery salt is still a key part of Chicago-style hot dogs and is also used in several other culinary dishes and cocktail recipes.