Where does celery come from?

Celery comes from the Mediterranean basin. The Food Reference website states that celery was cultivated for medicinal use before 850 B.C. Ayurvedic doctors used celery to treat conditions like colds and the flu, as well as arthritis and water retention.

Wild variations of celery are also found in Egypt, Sweden, India and the British Isles. In Greece's classical period, celery was regarded as a holy plant. The winners of the Nemean Games wore celery in the same way as the winners of the ancient Olympic Games wore bay leaves. Romans used celery primarily for culinary purposes but believed that celery could be an omen for bad luck in certain conditions.