BOTANICAL NAME: Apium graveolens
FAMILY: Apiaceae
Zwolle is the capital of the Dutch province of Overyssel. Historically, it was a trading port, a member of the Hanseatic League and a free city of the Holy Roman Empire. It is perhaps best known for Thomas á Kempis, the ecclesiastical author of the late Middle Ages whose Augustinian priory was located nearby. It is also a city of swamps, polders, and salt marshes. Salt marshes are the native habitat of wild celery and the origin of Zwollsche Krul (pronounced ZWOL-SHEH krool). Krul means “curly” in Dutch, and this old-fashioned stewing celery is so named because of its crinkled leaves. It is both intensely flavorful and highly ornamental. It is also easy to grow.
The history of stewing celeries—or “snipping” celeries as they are sometimes called—usually falls under the general label of smallage, an old word in English that includes both parsley and leafy celeries, since they closely resemble each other. Added to this is root parsley, or so-called Hamburg parsley, one of the strains of parsley that develops a carrotlike root. All three of these distinct plants were generally raised for stewing and boiling, and at one time they were considered greens tasty enough to be cooked and eaten as side dishes with meat.
Being great gardeners, and recognizing celery’s affinity for the swamp soils of Holland, the Dutch in particular took special interest in leaf celeries. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, they developed many varieties which are still easy to spot in old Dutch still-life paintings. The famous Dutch cookbook De verstandige kock, first published in 1667, contains numerous recipes utilizing these celeries, especially in hutspot, a type of ragout. There is even a recipe for celery salad. Although Amsterdamse Donkergroene (dark green Amsterdam) is an old variety with flat leaves resembling Italian parsley, Zwollsche Krul is certainly the most attractive of the lot, since its leaves are both frilly and curled. Both of these varieties are sold in England under the name Par-Cel, a word combining parsley and celery.
The plant grows into a bush no higher than a foot, with dark green curly leaves.
Zwollsche Krul is different from common celery because it does not “pipe,” to use the old gardening term. This means that like most soup celeries it does not form tall, thick stems. The plant grows into a bush no higher than a foot, with dark green curly leaves. Its taste is distinctive, lying somewhere between parsley and lovage. I associate it most with Holland’s fish stews and with waterzootje, the so-called North Sea bouillabaisse that is a perfect antidote to the cold, damp climate. The stems of Zwollsche Krul are chopped very finely and stewed with diced potatoes, shallots, bay leaves, thyme, milk, fish stock, and boned sea perch cut into bite-sized pieces (in the seventeenth century this was made with eel). A little white wine is added at the end and then some minced leaves of Zwollsche Krul. The Hotel Krasne Polski in Amsterdam used to serve this as a starter for a truly voluptuous meal of lobster delicately flavored with vodka and truffles. It is difficult to imagine that a homey potherb like Zwollsche Krul could make such a difference in the flavor of a dish, but it does. It is one of those rare blends where the art of the gardener and the art of the cook come together in perfect balance.