Fennel
Fennel was used by the Romans and is first written about in the 10th century. Florence fennel or finocchio in Italian, is a crisp vegetable with inflated leaf bases forming a bulb that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. Fennel belongs to the Umbellifereae family, which is related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander.
As a cultivated crop it is smaller than when it grows in the wild. It is usually available from autumn through early spring.
The Greek name for fennel is marathon or marathos, which also means a field of fennel.
The plant was formerly given many miraculous properties. Longfellow’s poem from 1842, “The Goblet of Life” refers to its ability to strengthen or even restore sight:
Above the lower plants it towers
the Fennel with its yellow flowers
And in an earlier age than ours
was gifted with the wondrous powers
lost vision to restore.
Fennel is loaded with many healthy nutrients, among them B vitamins, fiber, protein, VItamin C, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. It has very little sodium. It contains the antioxidants rutin, quercitin and kaempferol. It also contains anethole, an antiinflammatory which reduces risk from cancer by stopping tumor necrosis factor.
Fennel is known to relieve gas or flatulence, the politically correct term. The seeds can be chewed. Tea can be made by steeping 1/3 teaspoon of crushed seed in a cup of boiling water. This can also be used to relieve colic in infants—make sure the tea is adequately cooled before giving it to an infant.
Fennel is often confused with anise, but is sweeter and more aromatic.
It spreads well by seed, and is considered an invasive species or weed in the United States and Australia. It is widely cultivated, but India is the top producer.
Florence fennel is one of the three main herbs (in addition to similar-tasting anise) used in the preparation of absinthe, an alcoholic mixture which originated as a medicinal elixir in Switzerland and by the late 19th century was a popular alcoholic drink in France and Europe.
When selecting bulbs of fennel, avoid split, bruised or spotted ones. They should be whitish or pale green and firm. Stalks should be straight and not splayed out. The fresh aroma of licorice or anise should be present.
Fennel will stay fresh for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator crisper, although the sooner it is consumed, the better—its flavor diminishes with time.
Florence fennel is a key ingredient in some Italian and German salads, where it is often tossed with avacado and chicory. It makes a delicious side dish or can be cooked in risotto.
In Spain, the stems of the fennel plant are used in the preparation of pickled eggplants which is called berenjenas de Almagro. In Israel, fennel salad is made of chopped fennel bulbs flavored with salt, black pepper, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil and sometimes sumac.
Fennel seeds can be dried and stored in an airtight container, preferably in the refrigerator where they will keep for about 6 months.
Sugar-coated and uncoated fennel seeds are used in India and Pakistan in mukhwas, an after-meal snack and breath freshener.
Many cultures in India (where it is known as saunf in Hindi) and the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East use fennel seed in cooking as one of the most important spices in Kashmiri Pandit and Gujarati cooking. It is an essential ingredient of the Assamese/Bengali/Oriya spice mixture panch phoron and in Chinese five-spice powders.
Fennel forms one of the ingredients of the compound licorice/liquorice powder.
Be sure to use fennel this week and taste the delicious flavor it adds to your foods. It is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine.
Fennel was used by the Romans and is first written about in the 10th century. Florence fennel or finocchio in Italian, is a crisp vegetable with inflated leaf bases forming a bulb that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. Fennel belongs to the Umbellifereae family, which is related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander.
As a cultivated crop it is smaller than when it grows in the wild. It is usually available from autumn through early spring.
The Greek name for fennel is marathon or marathos, which also means a field of fennel.
The plant was formerly given many miraculous properties. Longfellow’s poem from 1842, “The Goblet of Life” refers to its ability to strengthen or even restore sight:
Above the lower plants it towers
the Fennel with its yellow flowers
And in an earlier age than ours
was gifted with the wondrous powers
lost vision to restore.
Fennel is loaded with many healthy nutrients, among them B vitamins, fiber, protein, VItamin C, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. It has very little sodium. It contains the antioxidants rutin, quercitin and kaempferol. It also contains anethole, an antiinflammatory which reduces risk from cancer by stopping tumor necrosis factor.
Fennel is known to relieve gas or flatulence, the politically correct term. The seeds can be chewed. Tea can be made by steeping 1/3 teaspoon of crushed seed in a cup of boiling water. This can also be used to relieve colic in infants—make sure the tea is adequately cooled before giving it to an infant.
Fennel is often confused with anise, but is sweeter and more aromatic.
It spreads well by seed, and is considered an invasive species or weed in the United States and Australia. It is widely cultivated, but India is the top producer.
Florence fennel is one of the three main herbs (in addition to similar-tasting anise) used in the preparation of absinthe, an alcoholic mixture which originated as a medicinal elixir in Switzerland and by the late 19th century was a popular alcoholic drink in France and Europe.
When selecting bulbs of fennel, avoid split, bruised or spotted ones. They should be whitish or pale green and firm. Stalks should be straight and not splayed out. The fresh aroma of licorice or anise should be present.
Fennel will stay fresh for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator crisper, although the sooner it is consumed, the better—its flavor diminishes with time.
Florence fennel is a key ingredient in some Italian and German salads, where it is often tossed with avacado and chicory. It makes a delicious side dish or can be cooked in risotto.
In Spain, the stems of the fennel plant are used in the preparation of pickled eggplants which is called berenjenas de Almagro. In Israel, fennel salad is made of chopped fennel bulbs flavored with salt, black pepper, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil and sometimes sumac.
Fennel seeds can be dried and stored in an airtight container, preferably in the refrigerator where they will keep for about 6 months.
Sugar-coated and uncoated fennel seeds are used in India and Pakistan in mukhwas, an after-meal snack and breath freshener.
Many cultures in India (where it is known as saunf in Hindi) and the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East use fennel seed in cooking as one of the most important spices in Kashmiri Pandit and Gujarati cooking. It is an essential ingredient of the Assamese/Bengali/Oriya spice mixture panch phoron and in Chinese five-spice powders.
Fennel forms one of the ingredients of the compound licorice/liquorice powder.
Be sure to use fennel this week and taste the delicious flavor it adds to your foods. It is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine.
