Learning about Spices What is a spice? Why were spices important? Sources of spices Perfumes and Incenses  Use of spices as aphrodisiacs Use of spices as medicines Culinary herbs A spice timeline Table of Spices Allspice (Pimento) Anise Black Pepper Cardamom Cassia Chile Pepper Chocolate Cinnamon Clove Coriander (Cilantro) Cumin Dill Fennel Fenugreek Frankincense and Myrrh Galangal Garlic Ginger Horseradish Licorice Mustard Nutmeg and Mace Onion Saffron Sugar Sumac Tamarind Turmeric Vanilla Contacts and Acknowledgments

Common Name FENNEL Click image to enlarge Genus Species Anethum foeniculum Family Apiaceae Origin Mediterranean, Near East Cultivated Southern and Western Europe (notably Galicia and Provence), South Africa, China, New Zealand, East Indies, US A and temperate parts of South America                     Description The Romans called this native Mediterranean plant foeniculum, meaning fragrant hay. It thus has a similar name to fenugreek, but the two are quite different. Fennel stalks and stems are used as a vegetable, while the stronger tasting fennel seeds have a flavor more like aniseed or licorice. In ancient Greece it was known as Marathon (because it grew at this battle site), and it was used as a symbol of victory. In Italy, fennel is called finocchio; it used to be regarded as an emblem of flattery, and it suggested foppishness or perhaps homosexuality. In the past, fennel was regarded as an essential culinary spice and as being an herb with mystical properties. Legends suggested it was beneficial for eyesight, and it was subsequently used for gastrointestinal disorders and for coughs. In this respect, its use resembled that of anise and dill. Fennel stalks are becoming more popular in the U.S.A. as a vegetable or salad, but its European role in cooking is as a flavor for fish, bread and confectionary . In China, it is found in the well-known five-spice powder, along with Szechwan pepper, anise, clove and cinnamon. See a list of spices by Taste and Hotness. Useful Parts The seeds are used and the stalks are eaten as a vegetable. Medicinal Properties No specific medical values have been demonstrated for fennel seeds. See chemicals in spices. Historical View “Fennel fruits are aromatic, stimulant, and carminative, resembling, in these particulars the fruits of anise, caraway, and dill. They are rarely used in substance, but more commonly in the form of the distilled water and the volatile oil. Fennel water is alone official in the British Pharmacopoeia and the Pharmacopoeia of India: it is a useful remedy to relieve flatulence, and as a pleasant adjunct to other medicines to prevent griping, etc.” Bentley, Robert and Henry Trimen. Medicinal Plants; being descriptions with original figures of the principal plants employed in medicine and an account of the characters, properties, and uses of their parts and products of medicinal value. London, Churchill, 1880. (WZ 295 B556m 1880) Click image to enlarge

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