This variety of celery cultivated in East Asian countries for its edible, flavorful stalks and leaves. The stems are thinner than those of western celery, and curved into round, hollow stalks. Also, unlike with western celery, the leaves are used as much as the stalks. Chinese celery is used in cooking more for its flavor than for its texture, and is rarely served by itself as a vegetable. It has a crunchy, watery flavor.