When Celery Outpriced Caviar

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, salted raw celery became the third most popular dish on New York restaurant menus and was treated as a luxury starter. Difficulties in growing and transporting crisp, unblemished stalks made celery expensive, and at times it even cost more than caviar. As cultivation and distribution improved over the years, celery lost its rarefied status and became an everyday salad and soup ingredient instead.

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