Everything about Fennel totally explained
Fennel (
Foeniculum vulgare) is a
plant species in the
genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most
botanists). It is a hardy,
perennial,
umbelliferous herb, with yellow
flowers and feathery
leaves, grows wild in most parts of
temperate Europe, but is generally considered indigenous to the shores of the
Mediterranean, whence it spreads eastwards to
India. It has followed
civilization, especially where
Romans have colonized, and may be found growing wild in many parts of the world upon dry soils near the sea-coast and upon river-banks. It is a member of the
family Apiaceae. It is a highly
aromatic and
flavorful herb with
culinary and
medicinal uses, and is one of the primary ingredients of
absinthe. Fennel is used as a food plant by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including the
Mouse Moth and the
Anise Swallowtail.
Appearance
Fennel is a
perennial herb, meaning that it grows year-round. It is erect, glaucous green, and grows to heights of up to 2.5 m, with hollow stems. The
leaves grow up to 40 cm long; they're finely dissected, with the ultimate segments filiform, about 0.5 mm wide. Its leaves are similar to those of
dill, but thinner. The
flowers are produced in terminal compound
umbels 5–15 cm wide, each umbel section having 20–50 tiny yellow flowers on short pedicels. The
fruit is a dry
seed from 4–10 mm long, half as wide or less, and grooved.
Cultivation and uses
anise and
star anise, though usually not as strong.
The
Florence fennel (
Foeniculum vulgare Azoricum Group;
syn. F. vulgare var.
azoricum) is a
Cultivar Group with inflated leaf bases which form a
bulb-like structure. It is of cultivated origin, and has a mild anise-like flavour, but is more aromatic and sweeter. Its flavour comes from
anethole, an aromatic compound also found in
anise and
star anise. Florence fennel plants are smaller than the wild type and have inflated leaf bases which are eaten as a
vegetable, both raw and cooked. There are several
cultivars of Florence fennel, which is also known by several other names, notably the
Italian name
finocchio. In North American supermarkets, it's often mislabelled as "anise".
Fennel has become
naturalised along roadsides, in pastures, and in other open sites in many regions, including northern Europe, the
United States, southern
Canada and in much of
Asia and
Australia. It propagates well by seed, and is considered an
invasive species and a
weed in Australia and the United States (see
Santa Cruz Island).
Florence fennel was one of the three main herbs used in the preparation of
absinthe, an alcoholic mixture which originated as a medicinal elixir in
Switzerland and became, by the late 19th century, a popular alcoholic drink in
France and other countries. Due to the belief that absinthe possessed
psychoactive properties beyond those of
alcohol, it was banned in most countries by 1915, but a recent relaxation of laws governing its production, importation and sale has caused a moderate resurgence in modern day consumption. Fennel itself is known to be a
stimulant, although many modern preparations marketed under the name "absinthe" don't make use of it.
Culinary uses
The bulb, foliage, and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the
culinary traditions of the world. Fennel pollen is the most potent form of fennel, but also the most expensive. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavoured
spice, brown or green in colour when fresh, slowly turning a dull grey as the seed ages. For cooking, green seeds are optimal.
Fennel is most prominently featured in Italian cuisine, where bulbs and fronds appears both raw and cooked in side dishes, salads, pastas, and risottos. Fennel seed is a common ingredient in
Italian sausages and meatballs and northern European rye breads.
Many cultures in the
Indian subcontinent and the
Middle East incorporate fennel seed into their culinary traditions. It is an essential ingredient in the
Bengali/
Oriya spice mixture
panch phoron and in Chinese
five-spice powders. It is known as
saunf or
mauti saunf in
Hindi and
Urdu,
mouri in
Bengali,
shombu or
peruncheeragam in
Tamil language,
variyali in
Gujarati, and
barishap in the
Malay language.
Many
egg,
fish, and other dishes employ fresh or dried fennel leaves. Florence fennel is a key ingredient in some Italian and
German salads, often tossed with
chicory and
avocado, or it can be
braised and served as a warm side dish. It may be
blanched or
marinated, or cooked in
risotto. In all cases, the leaves lend their characteristically mild, anise-like flavour.
Medicinal uses
Fennel contains
anethole, which can explain some of its effects: it, or its
polymers, act as
phytoestrogens. On account of its aromatic and
carminative properties, Fennel is chiefly used medicinally with purgatives to allay their side effects and for this purpose forms one of the ingredients of the well-known compound Liquorice Powder. Fennel water has properties similar to those of
anise and
dill water: mixed with sodium bicarbonate and syrup, these waters constitute the domestic 'Gripe Water,' used to correct the flatulence of infants.
Essential oil of Fennel has these properties in concentration. Fennel tea, formerly also employed as a
carminative, is made by pouring boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised Fennel seeds. Syrup prepared from Fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs. Fennel is also largely used for cattle condiments. It is one of the plants which is said to be disliked by fleas, and powdered Fennel has the effect of driving away fleas from kennels and stables.
Etymology and history
The word
fennel developed from the
Middle English fenel or
fenyl, which came from the
Anglo-Saxon fenol or
finol, which in turn came from the
Latin feniculum or
foeniculum, the diminutive of
fenum or
faenum, meaning "hay". The Latin word for the plant was
ferula, which is now used as the genus name of a related plant.
In
Ancient Greek, fennel was called
marathon (μάραθον), and is attested in
Linear B tablets as
ma-ra-tu-wo.
John Chadwick notes that this word is the origin of the place name
Marathon (meaning "place of fennel"), site of the
Battle of Marathon in
490 BC; however, Chadwick wryly notes that he's "not seen any fennel growing there now". In
Greek mythology,
Prometheus used the stalk of a fennel plant to steal fire from the gods. Also, it was from the giant fennel,
Ferula communis, that the Bacchanalian wands of the god Dionysus and his followers were said to have come.
In
medieval times fennel was used in conjunction with
St John's wort to keep away
witchcraft and other evil things. This practice may have originated from fennel's use as an
insect repellent.
Fennel is thought to be one of the nine
herbs held sacred by the
Anglo-Saxons. (The other eight are not entirely certain, but were probably
mugwort (
Artemisia vulgaris),
greater plantain (
Plantago major),
watercress (
Nasturtium officinale),
wild chamomile (
Matricaria recutita),
stinging nettle (
Urtica dioica),
crab apple (
Malus sylvestris),
chervil (
Anthriscus cerefolium), and
viper's bugloss (
Echium vulgare).)
Production
India is leader in production of Fennel followed by
Syrian Arab Republic.
| Top Ten Fennel Producers — 2005 |
| Country |
Production (Int $1000) |
Footnote |
Production (MT) |
Footnote |
| |
59,375 |
C |
110,000 |
F |
| |
56,676 |
C |
105,000 |
F |
| |
18,352 |
C |
34,000 |
F |
| |
17,543 |
C |
32,500 |
F |
| |
16,193 |
C |
0,000 |
F |
| |
13,494 |
C |
25,000 |
F |
| |
12,415 |
C |
23,000 |
F |
| |
11,875 |
C |
22,000 |
F |
| |
6,639 |
C |
12,300 |
F |
| |
5,398 |
C |
10,000 |
F |
No symbol = official figure,F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial figure, C = Calculated figure;
Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices
Source: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Devision
|
Further Information
Get more info on 'Fennel'.
|
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