Description
Use:
- Culinary: Fennel seeds are used whole or ground in both sweet and savory dishes. They are popular in Mediterranean cuisine for flavoring bread, sausages, salads, and seafood dishes. They are also a key ingredient in spice blends like Chinese five-spice powder and Indian masalas.
- Condiments: Used to flavor liqueurs, pickles, and vinegar infusions. Fennel seeds are also brewed into herbal teas for their aromatic qualities.
- Medicinal: In herbal medicine, fennel seeds are believed to aid digestion, relieve bloating, and have antioxidant properties.
Origin:
- Fennel is native to the Mediterranean region and has been cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes since ancient times. It has spread to other parts of the world and is now grown in various temperate climates.
Health Benefits of Fennel Seeds:
- Digestive Aid: Fennel seeds are known to relieve digestive discomfort such as bloating, gas, and indigestion.
- Antioxidant: They contain antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic compounds that help protect cells from oxidative stress.
- Anti-inflammatory: Fennel seeds have anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce inflammation in the body.
- Respiratory Health: In herbal remedies, fennel seeds are used to promote respiratory health and alleviate coughs.
- Hormonal Balance: Some studies suggest fennel seeds may help regulate hormonal balance, particularly in women.
Indian Name of Fennel Seeds:
- Hindi: सौंफ़ (Saunf)
- Tamil: சோம்பு (Sombu)
- Telugu: పెరుగు (Perugu)
- Kannada: ಸೋಂಪು (Sompu)
- Malayalam: പെരുംജീരകം (Perumjeerakam)
- Bengali: মৌরি (Mouri)
- Gujarati: વરીયાળી (Variyali)
- Marathi: बडीशेप (Badishep)
- Odia: ଶୁଣ୍ଠୀ (Sunthi)
Foreign Name of Fennel Seeds:
- French: graines de fenouil
- German: Fenchelsamen
- Italian: semi di finocchio
- Spanish: semillas de hinojo
- Portuguese: sementes de funcho
- Dutch: venkelzaad
- Russian: семена фенхеля (semena fenkhelya)
- Arabic: بذور الشمر (bizur al-shamr)
- Turkish: rezene tohumları
