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Weight/packing size: 1 pound (16 oz.)
The bulb, foliage, and seeds of the fennel plant all have secure places in the culinary traditions of the world. Fennel pollen is the most potent form of fennel, but it is exceedingly expensive. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavored spice; they are brown or green in color when fresh, and slowly turn a dull grey as the seed ages. For cooking, green seeds are optimal.
Fennel seeds are sometimes confused with aniseed, which is very similar in taste and appearance, though smaller. In India, it is common to chew fennel seed (or saunf) as a mouth-freshener. Fennel is also used as a flavoring in some natural toothpastes. Some people employ it as a diuretic; while others have used it to improve the milk supply of breastfeeding mothers, it has proven fatal in certain cases where the mother ingested it as an herbal tea to enhance her breast milk.
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, and shombu in the Tamil language. In the west, fennel seed is a very common ingredient in Italian sausages and northern European rye breads.
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. One may also blanch and/or marinate the leaves, or cook them in risotto. In all cases, the leaves lend their characteristically mild, anise-like flavor.
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