The Celery Dish

Many years ago, I picked up what looked like a small serving dish that I found at a flea market. It was stamped 'Franc Haviland & Co. Limoges'. I thought that sounded like a good name, so I bought it for a few dollars. I've used it through the years to serve nuts, olives and small side dishes. I never knew it was actually a celery dish until I started collecting a circa 1920s Noritake dish set. When collecting pieces, I found a beautiful dish the same shape and size as the Limoges one I had purchased. I decided to look up its value and that was when the name celery dish appeared. Even after I learned this, it never crossed my mind to put celery in it because I've only eaten celery chopped and added to recipes or dredged in cream cheese! Once I decided to write about this little dish, I soon learned that celery was once a luxury vegetable that commanded its very own serving plate. Celery came from England and was a delicacy for the upper class because of its scarcity. The vegetable, once an herb and part of the parsley family, was difficult to grow and could only be cultivated in specific locations. In the Victorian era, and before refrigeration became common, celery was available only to those who could afford it. It was such a symbol of wealth that to impress guests stalks of celery became the floral centerpiece for the Victorian dinner table. Throughout the 1800s, beautiful vases specifically made for celery stalks, were produced with intricate designs in crystal and porcelain. Crisp celery stalks were dipped in salt and the aristocrats' table settings included matching sets of individual salt cellars at each place setting. Celery vases were soon supplemented by its counterpart a long, narrow boat-shaped, low-profile dish. Once the celery in the centerpiece began to wilt it would be cooked and eaten. This long, bowl-style serving dish was more suitable for plating cooked celery. Porcelain celery dishes with matching sets of salt cellars became the new fad and mass produced to meet the needs. These dishes were often painted with lovely florals, had delicate embossed designs and often trimmed in gold. The advancements in agriculture through the years changed this herb into a vegetable and made it less bitter, much tastier and much more available. Once the railroads and mass production of refrigeration were available, celery became obtainable to the middle class. Now affordable, it had lost its status symbol. Recipes could commonly be found for preparing this fine vegetable which often included braising it in bouillon and butter. Maybe you'd like to find an inexpensive celery dish at a thrift store and make braised celery to accompany your Thanksgiving meal. It's really delicious! Or you might just find that the once star of the Victorian dinner table is better served at football gatherings to accompany hot wings! Braised Hearts of Celery Ingredients: 2 large bunches of celery hearts Water 2 chicken bouillon cubes 1 medium onion chopped 3 or 4 fresh oregano sprigs 1/2 tablespoon salt 3 tablespoons butter Parmesan cheese (optional) Trim off root ends of celery hearts. Cut off the leaves and save for garnish. Place the long stalks in a large skillet and add 1 inch of water. Add onion, oregano, bouillon and bring to a boil (if using chicken stock in place of water omit the bouillon). Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15 minutes or until tender. Stir in butter and simmer to cook down the liquids. Sprinkle with parmesan if you like. Serve in a celery dish! Ruth Blais Thompson is a lifelong resident of the Monadnock Region, a Realtor for Blais & Assoc. Realtors in Keene and a volunteer CASA. Her pastimes are writing short stories, ancestry research and playing, writing and performing music. She lives in Dublin with her husband and can be reached at rblaisthompson@gmail.com.