This Retro Snack Makes Celery The Main Character

While Ants on a Log may be considered retro now, much to every Gen Xer's dismay, filling the stalks of celery goes back even further. In the early 1900s, when the veggie was just becoming a common staple after a century of being the exotic, hard-to-grow treat for the wealthy, cream cheese was the popular filling. Olives were already considered a typical pairing with celery, so adding them to the cream cheese felt natural. This progenitor of the after-school snack to trick kids into eating their vegetables was served as a full salad course or as an end to wrap up a formal dinner.

One of the earliest versions of Stuffed Celery is found in a 1911 cookbook titled "Catering for Special Occasions with Menus and Recipes." In it, there's a dish of celery stuffed with Roquefort cheese and butter. The link between Ants on a Log and Stuffed Celery appears to be a version of the original retro snack, where raisins were placed atop the celery, and then cream cheese was spread on top of the raisins. It was only a matter of time until someone flipped the layers and replaced the cheese with peanut butter.

It's probable that the simplicity of the snack is what made it so ubiquitous. All you need to do is chop up the celery and spread something on it. You can mix almost anything in with the cream cheese. Briny ingredients work well with the fresh crispness of the celery and the creaminess of the spreadable cheese, which is why olives are such a common choice. Check out our ranking of the top jarred olive brands to find the right one for mixing in the filling! You can also get that saltiness from anchovies or pimentos.

Bacon, hot sauce, and cheddar is another winning combination. Or you can lean into the veggie's association with hot wings and make a buffalo sauce-shredded chicken version. Add some fresh herbs, such as parsley or fresh chives, to add more layers of flavor that complement the meatiness of these fillings. There are as many ways to make this dish as you can imagine. There's a reason we feel stuffed celery is a retro food deserving of a comeback!