Fennel

Lore & Background

Fennel is a perennial herb with a hollow, erect, glaucous green stem that can grow up to 2.1 meters tall. Its leaves are finely dissected, threadlike, and similar to dill but thinner. The flowers are produced in terminal compound umbels, each containing 20–50 tiny yellow flowers. The fruit is a dry schizocarp, grooved and 4–10 mm long. The aromatic character of fennel fruits derives from volatile oils including trans-anethole and estragole (resembling licorice), fenchone (mint and camphor), limonene, and 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom). Other phytochemicals include polyphenols such as rosmarinic acid and luteolin.

Reader's Guide

Fennel is widely cultivated for its edible, strongly flavored leaves and fruits. Its aniseed or licorice flavor comes from anethole, also found in anise and star anise. Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Azoricum Group) is a cultivar with a swollen, bulb-like stem base used as a vegetable. Fennel has become naturalized in many regions, including northern Europe, the United States, southern Canada, and much of Asia and Australia, and is considered an invasive species in Australia and the U.S., where it can drastically alter plant communities. The bulb, foliage, and fruits are used in culinary traditions worldwide, from Indian cuisine (as saunf) to Chinese five-spice powder and Italian sausage. Dried fennel seeds are a rich source of protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

Did You Know?

• Fennel is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe, along with anise.
• The name 'fennel' comes from Latin 'faeniculum', a diminutive of 'faenum' meaning 'hay'.
• In North American supermarkets, Florence fennel is often mislabeled as 'anise'.
• Fennel can grow up to 2.1 meters (7 feet) tall.