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Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare
Foeniculum vulgare
Did you know that… ?
  1. …fennel is a favorite in French and Italian cuisine?
  2. …fennel is an ingredient in licorice-flavored cough drops?
  3. …the fennel plant is very similar to dill?
  4. …fatty fish is much more easily digested with fennel?
  5. …fennel aids in milk production for nursing mothers?
  6. …fennel is an ingredient in spice mixes from India, China and Provencal?
  7. …fennel as a spice from the herb Foeniculum vulgare uses the entire plant (root, leaves, stems, twigs, fruit and ground or whole seeds)?
  8. …fennel cannot be used longer than two weeks, since it is a mild narcotic?
Fennel seeds
Recipe

Bolognese pork

800 g pork roast
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 large onion
2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
½ l milk
3 mushrooms
2 tablespoons oil
pepper, salt

Salt pork roast, rub with crushed garlic, pepper and sprinkle with fennel. Let stand for 3 hours. Braise meat in oil on all sides, add chopped onion and parsley. Brown, baste with milk and simmer until tender. When tender, add sliced mushrooms. Slowly thicken juice, and use to baste meat. Serve with pasta or dumplings.

Story

Fennel was already a well-known, favorite aromatic spice of ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Greeks and Romans. Medieval church attendees chewed fennel seeds during boring sermons to suppress growling in their stomachs. It was considered an aphrodisiac and universal cure. Ancient Greeks called fennel "marathron", meaning to slim down. It was considered a weight-loss agent.