Fennel seeds

Foeniculum vulgare

spice

Dried fennel fruits, called seeds, tasting of aniseed; their scent, anethole, is also that of pastis and absinthe, of which fennel is an ingredient.

Origin

Mediterranean basin

Season (United States)

imported · all year round

Preparation

Crush them at the last moment: anethole is volatile and escapes within minutes once the seed is opened. As a tea, not for children under four, and sparingly during pregnancy or breastfeeding: the European Medicines Agency asks for estragole to be kept low at those times. Its scent is volatile: at the end of cooking, not the start.

Molecules

AnetholeIn small amounts, not counted Phenolic acids · Insoluble fibers · Limonene

Did you know?

In India they are chewed raw or roasted after a meal: this is mukhwas, an aid to digestion and a breath freshener.