Fennel
flower
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare |
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Fennel in flower
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Kingdom:
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(unranked):
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Order:
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Family:
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Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)
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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 member of the familyApiaceae (formerly the Umbelliferae). It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of theMediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts
of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks.
It
is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses and, along with the
similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary
ingredients of absinthe.Florence
fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as
a vegetable.
Fennel
is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the mouse moth and the anise swallowtail.
Etymology and history
The
word "fennel" developed from the Middle English fenel or fenyl. This came from the Old English fenol or finol, which in turn came from the Latin feniculum orfoeniculum, 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. As Old English finule, it is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century.
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.
The
Greek name for fennel is marathon (μάραθον) or marathos (μάραθος) and the place of the famous battle of Marathon and the subsequent sports eventMarathon (Μαραθών), literally means a plain with fennels.
Appearance
Fennel flowerheads
Fennel, bulb, raw
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Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
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130 kJ (31 kcal)
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7.29 g
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3.1 g
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0.20 g
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1.24 g
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0.01 mg (1%)
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0.032 mg (3%)
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0.64 mg (4%)
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Pantothenic acid (B5)
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0.232 mg (5%)
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0.047 mg (4%)
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Folate (vit. B9)
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27 μg (7%)
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12 mg (14%)
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49 mg (5%)
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0.73 mg (6%)
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17 mg (5%)
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0.191 mg (9%)
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50 mg (7%)
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414 mg (9%)
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0.20 mg (2%)
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Saunf or fennel seeds used as a spice and an after-meal in India and Pakistan
Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is a perennial herb. 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 are finely
dissected, with the ultimate segments filiform (threadlike), 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
Fennel
is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible,
strongly flavoured leaves and fruits. Its aniseed flavour comes from anethole, an aromatic compound also found in anise and star anise, and its taste and aroma are similar to theirs, 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. Florence fennel plants are smaller than the wild type. Their inflated leaf bases 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 is often mislabelled as
"anise"
Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum' or 'Nigra', "bronze-leaved" fennel, is
widely available as a decorative garden plant.
Fennel
has become naturalised along roadsides, in
pastures, and in other open sites in many regions, including northern Europe,
the United States, southernCanada 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. In western North America, fennel can be found from the coastal and
inland wild land-urban
interface east into hill and
mountain areas, excluding desert habitats.
Florence fennel bulbs
Florence
fennel is 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.
Culinary uses
Fennel, from Koehler's Medicinal-plants(1887)
The
bulb, foliage, and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions of the world. The small flowers of
wild fennel (mistakenly known in America as fennel "pollen") are 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. The leaves are
delicately flavoured and similar in shape to those of dill. The bulb is a crisp
vegetable that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. They are
used for garnishes and to add flavor to salads. They are also added to sauces
and served with pudding. The leaves used in soups and fish sauce and sometimes
eaten raw as salad.
Fennel
seeds are sometimes confused with those of anise, which are similar in taste and appearance, though smaller.
Fennel is also used as a flavouring in some natural toothpastes. The seeds are used in cookery and sweet
desserts.
Many
cultures in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East use fennel seed in their cookery. It is one of the most important
spices in Kashmiri Panditand Gujarati cooking.. It is an essential
ingredient of the Assamese/Bengali/Oriya spice mixture panch phoron and in Chinese five-spice powders. In many parts of India and Pakistan, roasted fennel seeds are
consumed as mukhwas,
an after-meal digestive and breath freshener. Fennel leaves are used as leafy
green vegetables either by themselves or mixed with other vegetables, cooked to
be served and consumed as part of a meal, in some parts of India. In Syria and Lebanon, it is used to make a special kind of egg omelette (along with
onions, and flour) called ijjeh.
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
Spain the stems of the fennel plant are used in the preparation of pickled
eggplants, "berenjenas de Almagro".
Sugar-coated saunf used as a snack or breath
freshener
Medicinal uses
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) essential oil
in clear glass vial
Fennel seeds
Fennel
contains anethole,
which can explain some of its medical effects: It, or its polymers, act as phytoestrogens.
The
essence of fennel can be used as a safe and effective herbal drug for primary dysmenorrhea, but could have lower potency than mefenamic acid at the current study level.
Intestinal tract
Fennel
is widely employed as a carminative,
both in humans and in veterinary medicine (e.g., dogs), to treat flatulence by
encouraging the expulsion of intestinal gas. Anethole is responsible for the carminative action.
Mrs.
Eencher Herba states:
On
account of its 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. Volatile oil of fennel has these properties in concentration.
Commercial preparations of fennel are widely available as
alternative treatment for baby colic. Fennel tea, also employed as a
carminative, is made by pouring boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised
fennel seeds.
Fennel
can be made into a syrup to treat babies with colic (formerly thought to be due to digestive upset), but long-term
ingestion of fennel preparations by babies is a known cause of thelarche
Eyes
In
the Indian subcontinent, fennel seeds are also eaten raw, sometimes with some
sweetener, as they are said to improve eyesight. Ancient Romans regarded fennel
as the herb of sight. Root extracts were often
used in tonics to clear cloudy eyes. Extracts of fennel seed have been shown in
animal studies to have a potential use in the treatment of glaucoma.
Blood and urine
Fennel
may be an effective diuretic and a potential drug for treatment of hypertension
Breastmilk
There
are historical anecdotes that fennel is a galactagogue, improving the milk
supply of a breastfeeding mother. This use,
although not supported by direct evidence, is sometimes justified by the fact
that fennel is a source of phytoestrogens, which promote growth of breast tissue . However, normal lactation does not involve growth of breast tissue. A single case report of
fennel tea ingested by a breastfeeding mother resulted in neurotoxicity for the newborn child
Other uses
Syrup
prepared from fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs. 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.
