The fennel seasoning consists of the seeds of the plant of the same name., which are located in its inflorescences. They have a sweet-spicy taste and a pleasant aroma that combines the aromas of dill and anise. It is characterized by small size, oblong shape and greenish-brown tint.

Scientists have found that the first mentions of fennel are found in the books of Ancient India. Even then, it was used as a seasoning for dishes, which not only improves their taste, but also protects against many diseases. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome, the plant was used after a meal for fresh breath and improved digestion. In the Middle Ages, the spice spreads in Europe and begins to be grown in the field.

Benefits and chemical composition

  • The seasoning contains a large amount of antioxidants, which are excellent for the prevention of cancer.
  • Fennel has anti-inflammatory effects and helps to eliminate high blood cholesterol levels.
  • The use of seasoning in the daily diet has a beneficial effect in the treatment of pneumonia, bronchitis and hepatitis.
  • Fennel is an indispensable tool for keeping eyes sharp, strengthening hair roots and improving memory.
  • A pleasant property of the spice is the ability to accelerate metabolism, stabilize blood sugar levels, thereby reducing the desire to eat sweets and starchy foods. That is why the seasoning is so popular among those who want to lose weight.
  • Experts have proven that the properties of fennel are useful for the care of mature skin. The phytoestrogens contained in its composition are indispensable for eliminating wrinkles and skin pigmentation disorders.
  • This spice is able to treat alcohol poisoning, as it neutralizes toxins and carcinogenic substances in the blood.

The spice is rich in minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and chromium. They contain vitamins of groups A, B and C, as well as a significant amount of essential oils.

Harm and contraindications

The risk of using fennel exists in cases of intolerance to this product by the body. It is also contraindicated for pregnant women, as it can cause unwanted spasms (read more about the beneficial properties of fennel and contraindications for women in general in). It is not recommended to combine fennel with other diuretics, as they enhance the effect, which negatively affects the well-being of a person.

Components of fennel essential oils are dangerous in case of overdose: They cause breathing problems, heart palpitations and bleeding. Therefore, it is important to use the seasoning in moderation (?).

The beneficial properties and contraindications of fennel have been written in detail.

Eating in food

Fennel spice has a sweet and spicy taste, but with a bit of bitterness. It is popular in Mediterranean, Arabic, Indian and Chinese cuisines. Fennel is also popular among pastry chefs. It is customary to add crushed seeds to the dough, and buns and cookies are decorated with whole ones.

It is often used in meat and fish dishes, less often in soups and salads. The most popular seasoning is used in the preparation of pork, carp and pike.... To reveal the flavor of the seasoning, it can be heated in a skillet or lightly rubbed with your fingers. It is worth remembering that seeds are used in a ratio of 3-4 g of spice per 1 kg of meat.

How to prepare?

The seeds are harvested after they are ripe, when they turn light brown. This stage lasts two months - August and September. The ripening process is uneven, so the collection takes place repeatedly.

In order to dry fennel seeds, you need:

  1. Cut off inflorescences (called umbrellas).
  2. Put them in a dry, dark place (for 2-3 days).
  3. Rub the dried inflorescences between the palms over the newspaper so that the seeds separate from the stem.
  4. Peel the seeds.
  5. Pour the fennel seeds into a jar with a tight lid.

How to choose and where to buy?

When buying a seasoning in the form of seeds, you should pay attention to their appearance. They should be light brown in color, dense in structure, with pronounced veins.

You can buy dried seasoning at any supermarketas well as in grocery markets. The price for 100 g of spice was set in the range from 80 to 120 rubles in Moscow and from 70 to 100 rubles in St. Petersburg.

Thus, fennel can be confidently called indispensable in the kitchen of any housewife. It gives an exquisite taste to dishes and has a wide range of beneficial properties for the body. It is necessary for people of any age, everyone will find in it a remedy for many ailments.

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Fennel, application and properties

Fennel: The use of this spice is described in manuscripts that are more than 5,000 years old. Fennel is both tasty and healthy!

Fennel seeds are used in the national cuisines of Romania, Spain, France, Italy, China, Greece, India as a spice. Since ancient times, this spice has gained particular popularity among the royal people of England.

How the seasoning is used fennel seeds, but the rest of the plant is also used in cooking.

Fennel leaves add to salads, season soups. The stems are used in marinades for apples, watermelons, mushrooms, for pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage. Blanched, they are used for making sauces and soups. Fennel bulbs used to prepare side dishes.

In the East, the use of fennel seeds is very popular as follows: they are lightly fried in a dry frying pan and used almost everywhere - starting with salads and light snacks, adding to soups, side dishes from cereals and vegetables, as well as to pies, pastries, puddings, casseroles.

Meat and fish dishes only benefit from the use of this spice, acquiring a more refined oriental taste.

The healing properties of fennel. It gained wide popularity not only because of its spicy taste, but also largely due to its medicinal properties.

Fennel, the use of which since ancient times gives good results in cosmetology, is successfully used to create and maintain beauty today.

Creams and gels with fennel oil smoothen wrinkles, increase firmness and even out skin tone. Compresses from infusion are still used by cosmetologists to treat inflamed eyelids and watery eyes.

Adding fennel to various dishes not only gives them an oriental taste and aroma, but is also the prevention of various diseases. Fennel has amazing properties, the use of which strengthens the entire body: after all, it nourishes plasma, blood, muscles, bone marrow.

According to Ayurveda, the ancient science of health, the scent of fennel has a calming effect on the nervous system, bringing the mind and intellect into a state of focus and attention.

Infusion of fennel seeds (1 teaspoon per glass of boiling water) is used for colds and flu to clear mucus from the respiratory tract; for diseases of the genitourinary system to reduce pain, spasms and edema; to improve the functioning of the digestive system, to increase lactation of nursing mothers.

Fennel is an effective therapeutic agent for cancer patients after chemotherapy.

A tea made from a mixture in equal parts of fennel seeds, caraway seeds and coriander (0.5-1 teaspoon per glass of boiling water) is an excellent tonic for people with stomach problems, especially for children and the elderly.

For medicinal purposes, it can be taken in the form of an infusion (tea), either alone or in combination with and in equal parts (1 teaspoon of the spice mixture in a glass of boiling water).

You can chew the fennel seeds lightly toasted in a dry skillet after meals.

Fennel application: both tasty and healthy!

Use fennel regularly, and you will visit the pharmacy less often!

If you have any additions or comments, I will be glad.

Fennel (also called fennel) is a very ancient spice that looks like dill, but has a pleasant sweetish taste reminiscent of. In cooking, seeds, feathery leaves, young shoots and the base of the plant stem are used.

Origin and cultivation of fennel

Fennel (Foeniculum) is a perennial herb that outwardly resembles dill with aniseed aroma, belongs to the genus of fennel from the Umbrella family (Apiaceae). Cumin and the already mentioned anise belong to the umbrella. Fennel is widely known as a medicine and spice in Greece, Rome, and Egypt. It appeared in Europe in the Middle Ages and was used to treat headaches and coughs.

Fennel is native to the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and southern Europe. Today it is cultivated in many European countries, America, India, and Ukraine.

The use of fennel in cooking

In cooking, fennel fruits are most in demand, they are used to flavor marinades, liqueurs, bread, cookies, puddings, and various sauces. They are perfect for preserving zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash, delicate umbrellas give the pickles a pleasant aroma and enhance the strength of vegetables. Fennel fruits are found in some national spice kits.

Fennel leaves and seeds are added to soups, fish dishes, sausages, minced meat, sauces, marinades, and some drinks. Fennel roots are stewed, added to stews, baked with fish or meat.

The use of fennel in medicine, perfumery

Fennel is known to increase lactation in breastfeeding women. Possesses a pronounced disinfectant property. Fennel tincture can be used to wipe the eyes with conjunctivitis and pustules on the skin with rashes.

Also known antispasmodic, carminative, laxative and diuretic properties of fennel.

In the perfumery and soap making industry, the mild warm aniseed aroma of fennel (fennel oil) is widely used.

Irina Surdu specially for the site

Fennel (Foeniculum) from the Umbelliferae or Apiaceae family also known as dill and sweet anise. Fennel is a sweet and aromatic spice.

The use of fennel in cooking
Fennel is prized for all its parts: onion, petioles, leaves, seeds.
Fennel spice is a seed that has a slightly sweet and spicy taste with aromas of dill and anise. Before use, the spice is sometimes slightly fried in a pan, or pounded.

Fennel is a favorite spice in Europe as well as in the cuisines of China and India.
The fennel spice is good in many dishes, and is most often used with fish, meat, poultry, for baking, in the production of drinks, it is added to teas, when salting and pickling vegetables. Fennel can be found in pilaf, sausages, cheeses, marinades, sauces, candies.

Fennel is found in spice mixtures such as curry, European for fish, Chinese five spices, Provencal; combined with cumin, ginger, star anise, anise, dill, coriander, pepper, mint, etc.
Fennel leaves are used in salads, soups, stewed vegetables, meat and fish dishes.
Some housewives use fennel stems when salting vegetables.

The fennel bulb (tuber) can be boiled, stewed, fried, baked, used in first and main courses. Traditionally, tubers are combined with white fish and seafood.

Medical use spices fennel
Since fennel improves digestion, it is used to improve metabolism and as a carminative. Dill water, which is given to young children, so that the stomach does not hurt - fennel tincture.
Fennel is an antiseptic that helps with coughs and sore throat. It is used for asthma, sedatives, diuretics, eye remedies.
In general, fennel is a sedative. In cosmetology, it is used to restore skin moisture.

Description of spice fennel
Fennel (Foeniculum) of the family Umbelliferae or Apiaceae comes from the Mediterranean, it is a biennial or perennial plant up to two meters high.
Common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) and Italian fennel (Foeniculum italica) are used in cooking and medicine.
The stem is branched, the leaves are threadlike (similar to dill), the inflorescences are umbrellas, the flowers are small yellow, the seeds are 4-10 mm long, the bulb is spindle-shaped.
The seeds are harvested in 2 stages, when they turn greenish-yellow - first from the central umbrellas, then all the rest, dried in the sun with good ventilation.
Fennel contains vitamins B, C, E, K, PP, carotene, ascorbic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, proteins, sugars, fatty (used as a substitute for cocoa butter), essential oils. The essential oil (solidifies at +5) contains anethole, anise aldehyde and acid, fenchone, pinene, camphene, pellandrene.
Currently, fennel is cultivated in many countries (the plant loves warmth and light), mainly in Europe, India, China, Argentina, USA, Japan, and some African countries.

History of the spice fennel
The homeland of fennel is the Mediterranean. Fennel was used in cooking and medicine in Ancient Egypt, Greece, China, India. In the ancient manuscripts of Hippocrates, Asclepiades, Discorides, Pliny, Avicenna, fennel is mentioned as a medicinal plant.
In ancient Greece, fennel was called Marathon after the place where the historic victory was won and was considered a symbol of success.
Fennel was a popular medicinal plant in England (18th century mentioned); the English Puritans also freshened their breath with fennel seeds - this habit apparently came from India.
From Sanskrit, the names of fennel are translated as "a plant with a hundred flowers" and "with a sweet smell." Fennel is also called pharmaceutical fennel for its similarity.

Fennel ordinary - This is a plant, which is also called pharmaceutical dill or Voloshsky fennel. The Mediterranean countries are considered the birthplace of fennel. Fennel was also known in Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, where it was used both as a spice and as a medicinal plant. The first mention of fennel dates back to the 18th century.

Wild fennel grows in grassy areas, preferring dry, rocky slopes, ditches, and roadsides. In the wild, this plant can be found in the Crimea, Transcaucasia and Central Asia.

Description of fennel

Fennel vulgaris is a perennial or biennial plant belonging to the Umbrella family. Fennel can grow up to two meters in height, its stem is round, straight, highly branched. Fennel root is a fleshy bulb, yellow-white in color. The leaves of this plant are very similar to those of dill. Fennel is completely covered with a bluish bloom. Fennel blooms in the second half of summer, as well as dill - with umbrellas with small yellow flowers, its fruit-seeds ripen in autumn.

Fennel as a medicinal and essential oil plant is cultivated in Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, the North Caucasus and Krasnodar Territory. The most common variety of fennel is Balonsky.

The chemical composition and calorie content of fennel

Fennel is a plant that is high in essential oils. The high content of essential oil in the fruits of this plant is about 6.5%, fennel leaves contain only 0.5% of essential oil. Fennel essential oil has a sweetish spicy taste and a characteristic pronounced aroma. It contains fenchone, anethole, camphor, α-pinene, methylchavicol, α-pellandrene, limonene, cineole, terpinolene, bornyl acetate, citral, and other valuable substances.

Fennel fruits contain from 12 to 18% fatty oils, which consist of oleic, petroselinic, palmitic and linoleic acids.

The fennel herb contains a high content of glycosides, ascorbic acid, carotene, flavonoids, minerals and B vitamins.

The calorie content of fennel is only 31 kcal per 100 g of product.

Fennel application

Externally, fennel resembles dill, but its taste and aroma is akin to anise, from which fennel has a sweeter taste.

Almost the entire plant is eaten by people: onion, trunk, herbs and seeds. Fresh greens of fennel - its feathery stems and leaves have a pleasant, refreshing, slightly sweet taste. Fennel greens and bulbs are added to salads, soups and many other dishes to give them a special aroma and taste. Fennel seeds are dried and used as a seasoning, adding it to sauces, fish, meat dishes, confectionery and bakery products, as well as using it in canning vegetables.

Fennel essential oil, which is obtained from the seeds of this plant, has found its application not only in the food and confectionery industry, but also in cosmetology, as well as in perfumery, where it serves as an excellent flavoring agent. The solid portion of fennel butter is used in pharmaceuticals as a substitute for cocoa butter.

Perfumers also use essential oil as a fragrance. Interestingly, after obtaining the essential oil from the fruits of fennel, the remaining fatty oil is used in technology, and the waste remaining after obtaining the oil is fed to livestock.

As a spice, fennel essential oil is used by the cuisines of Hungary, Romania, France, China, India, Italy, Spain, etc.

The healing properties of fennel

Preparations made from fennel fruits increase the secretion of the digestive glands, they also have an antispasmodic, choleretic and diuretic effect, while regulating the motor function of the intestine and providing a slight antibacterial effect. The beneficial soothing effect of fennel fruits on the central nervous system has been noted. Also, the fruits of fennel are part of the anti-asthma medicine.

Essential fennel oil is used as an expectorant and for flatulence. Fennel oil is also used to improve the taste of medicines.

"Dill water" made from fennel improves bowel function and can even be used to treat flatulence in infants.

Fennel infusion is known as an effective expectorant for bronchitis. Interestingly, in Korean medicine, it is used as an antipyretic.

In folk medicine, fennel is also used for spastic colitis, neurasthenia and bronchial asthma. Fennel is included in choleretic, carminative and soothing teas. Fennel is also used for irregularities, as well as a delay in the menstrual cycle.

Contraindications to the use of fennel

Despite the fact that fennel relieves attacks of nausea and increases lactation (milk formation) in lactating women, you should not abuse this plant. You should also use fennel preparations with caution during pregnancy.

Fennel is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance. It should also not be consumed in large quantities by epileptics.

The use of fennel in cooking

Fennel is appreciated not only as a medicine, but also as a spice. Despite the fact that fennel looks very similar to ordinary dill, it has a specific taste and aroma that is actively used in cooking. Fennel is able to add sophistication and originality to any dish; it is added to soups, main courses, salads, and is also prepared as an independent dish. For example, Italian cuisine is famous for its pickled fennel.

In our country, fennel also began to gain deserved popularity. Fennel panicles are used for home canning of vegetables.

The rest of the fennel parts (bulb and stems) are also widely used. So fennel has long been prepared as a side dish for meat and fish dishes; for this, parts of the plant are simply scalded with boiling water, and then, if desired, are subjected to additional heat treatment.

However, the most popular are the fruits of fennel, which are dried, ground and used as a spice for fish and meat. Vegetable oil is infused on fennel seeds, and they make healthy and tasty tea. Fennel is often added to tarts. Ground fennel root is often found in confectionery.

The expressive taste of fennel and the peculiar anise-like aroma are appreciated by culinary specialists all over the world. The flesh of the fennel stalk is crispy, the feathery leaves are used as an aromatic herb, and the fennel bulb is prepared as a vegetable. Skillful cooks use fennel completely from seed to onion, which is especially good as a side dish for poultry; for this, the onion should be cut into four parts and fried in peanut butter. Fennel can be eaten raw, then it retains all its valuable and useful properties.

Romanchukevich Tatiana
for women's magazine www.site

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