The dried resin of a giant fennel from Iran and Afghanistan, pungently sulphurous raw but mellow, oniony and savoury when fried. Used in pinches in Indian dals, sambars and pickles.
What it is¶
Asafoetida is a dried gum-resin tapped from the roots of several large perennial Ferula species, giant fennels that grow in the dry mountains of Iran and Afghanistan. The plant is cut near the top of its thick taproot and the milky latex that seeps out is scraped off as it hardens, repeatedly over weeks. The resin sets into brownish lumps.
In India it is called hing. Most of what is sold is compounded asafoetida: powdered resin mixed with a starch (often wheat flour, sometimes rice flour) and gum arabic, which dilutes it to a usable strength and stops it clumping. Many brands are coloured yellow with turmeric. Pure resin is sold in lumps and is several times stronger.
Origins and history¶
Asafoetida came to the Mediterranean from Persia in antiquity. Roman cooks prized a related plant, silphium from Cyrenaica in North Africa, as a seasoning; when silphium became scarce and apparently died out in the first century CE, asafoetida, sometimes called Persian or Median silphium, was used in its place. Recipes in the Roman collection attributed to Apicius use it, including a trick of storing the resin in a jar of pine nuts and using the flavoured nuts.
In Europe it later fell out of culinary use and became a medicine; the German name Teufelsdreck and the English "devil's dung" record the prevailing opinion. In India, by contrast, it became a mainstay, especially in communities such as Jains and some Brahmins who avoid onions and garlic for religious reasons. India imports essentially all its supply; since 2020 there have been efforts to cultivate Ferula assa-foetida in the Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh.
Flavour and aroma¶
Raw asafoetida smells powerfully of rotten garlic, drains and boiled eggs; the smell comes from organic sulphur compounds. Fried briefly in hot fat, those compounds change, and the result is a gentle, rounded, onion-and-garlic savouriness with a slight leek-like sweetness that deepens the flavour of pulses and vegetables. It is used in tiny amounts, so it is the background note in many dishes rather than something you notice.
In the kitchen¶
The golden rule: always fry it. Add asafoetida to hot oil or ghee for a few seconds before other ingredients, or last in a tempering, so the raw smell cooks off.
- Dals and pulses. A pinch in dal tadka, sambar, rasam and chana; it is traditionally thought to make beans easier to digest.
- South India. Essential in sambar and rasam, and in the tempering for coconut chutney and lemon rice, usually after mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- Gujarat and Rajasthan. Kadhi, dhokla, khandvi and many vegetable dishes.
- Pickles. Indian lime, mango and chilli pickles.
- Onion-free cooking. Anyone avoiding onion and garlic, including people on a low-FODMAP diet, can use it to supply a similar savoury base (check the compound's starch; see below).
Quantity depends on strength: for a dal for four, ⅛–¼ tsp of compounded powder, or a crumb the size of a lentil of pure resin. Too much tastes medicinal and bitter.
Buying and storing¶
Asafoetida's smell escapes through ordinary packaging and will perfume a whole cupboard, so keep it in its airtight tub, and then inside a second sealed jar. Compounded powder keeps for a year or more; lump resin for several years. Break or grate lumps as needed.
Substitutes¶
A mixture of a little garlic powder and onion powder gives a similar savoury depth: roughly ½ tsp of the mix for ⅛ tsp asafoetida. Finely chopped, well-fried onion or garlic works in most dishes, though not for people avoiding them.
Pairs well with¶
cumin, mustard seed, curry leaves, turmeric, fenugreek, ajwain, ginger, chilli, tamarind, lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, cauliflower, yogurt.
Health and safety¶
⚠️ Most asafoetida contains wheat
Compounded asafoetida is very often cut with wheat flour, so it contains gluten and is not safe for people with coeliac disease or wheat allergy. Gluten-free versions made with rice flour exist; read the label every time and look for an explicit gluten-free statement.
Because it is sold as a diluted powder, asafoetida is also prone to adulteration with extra starch, chalk, soapstone, other resins or colourings. Buy from established brands. See spice-adulteration and spice-allergies.
Pure resin is very strong; use small amounts. Medicinal quantities, as distinct from culinary pinches, are generally advised against during pregnancy and for infants.