The dried seed of the fennel plant, sweet and gently anise-scented. It flavours Italian sausage and finocchiona, Indian panch phoron and after-meal mukhwas, and Chinese five-spice.
What it is¶
Fennel seed is the dried fruit of Foeniculum vulgare, a tall, feathery perennial of the carrot family that grows wild around the Mediterranean and has naturalised far beyond it. The seeds are oval, ridged and pale green when fresh, turning greenish-brown as they age.
The same species gives several things to the kitchen. Wild and common fennel give seed, feathery fronds and pollen; bronze fennel is a decorative form; and Florence fennel (var. azoricum) is the variety grown for its swollen leaf-base "bulb". This page is about the seed.
Origins and history¶
Fennel was well known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans; the Greek name marathon is connected by tradition to the site of the battle of Marathon, reputedly a fennel field, though the story is best treated as folklore. Pliny recorded many medicinal uses. Charlemagne's Capitulare de villis, around 800, lists fennel among plants to be grown on imperial estates, and it appears in the Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm.
Fennel travelled east early, and India is now by far the world's largest producer, mostly from Gujarat and Rajasthan. Lucknow is known for a small, sweet, bright green seed prized for chewing.
Flavour and aroma¶
Sweet and gently anise-like, with a fresh, green, slightly camphorous note from fenchone that sets it apart from aniseed. Toasting brings out nutty, warmer tones. It is one of the few spices that tastes pleasantly sweet on its own, which is why it is chewed raw after meals in India.
In the kitchen¶
- Italy. Fennel seed is the signature of Italian pork sausage, Tuscan finocchiona salami and porchetta. It goes into tomato sauces, taralli and breadsticks. See italian-cuisine.
- India. A key member of panch-phoron, the Bengali five-seed mix, and of many garam masalas and Kashmiri spice mixes. Kashmiri cooks use ground fennel and dried ginger as a base for dishes such as rogan josh. Roasted, sometimes sugar-coated fennel is the heart of mukhwas, the after-meal mouth freshener. See indian-cuisine.
- China. One of the spices in five-spice powder.
- Elsewhere. Fish stews and bouillabaisse, pork roasts, rye breads, pickles, and baked apples.
About 1 tsp whole seed flavours a tomato sauce or a kilo of sausage-meat mixed with garlic and chilli flakes. For curries, fry whole seeds in hot oil until they darken a shade and smell toasty (see tempering-spices), or dry-toast and grind them (see toasting-spices).
Buying and storing¶
Whole seeds keep well for about two years in an airtight jar. Choose seeds that are greenish rather than dull brown and that smell sweet when crushed. Ground fennel is useful for rubs but fades within months. Fennel pollen, sold in tiny jars at high prices, is intensely aromatic and best kept in the freezer.
Substitutes¶
aniseed is sweeter and more liquorice-like: use about three-quarters as much. A small piece of star anise works in braises. Dill seed or caraway give a different but workable savoury note in breads and pickles.
Pairs well with¶
Pork, fish, tomato, garlic, chilli flakes, black pepper, coriander seed, cumin, nigella, fenugreek, orange, lemon, olives, potatoes, apples.
Growing your own¶
Fennel is one of the easiest spices to grow for seed in a temperate garden. Sow directly in spring in a sunny, well-drained spot, or buy a young plant; it is a hardy perennial that reaches 1.5–2 m. It flowers in summer, and the seeds are ready in late summer to autumn when they turn from green to grey-brown. Snip the heads into a paper bag and let them finish drying indoors.
Two cautions. Fennel self-seeds freely, so cut off heads you do not want, and in some regions it has become a serious invasive weed. It is also widely said to cross-pollinate with dill, producing muddled seedlings, so keep them apart if you save seed. See growing-your-own-spices.
Health and safety¶
Fennel contains estragole, a compound that is a concern at high, sustained doses, so European regulators advise caution with concentrated fennel preparations and fennel teas for young children and during pregnancy. Normal culinary use is not considered a concern. People with allergies to other members of the carrot family, such as celery, sometimes react to fennel too. See spice-allergies.