Fennel seed

How to Incorporate Fennel Seeds into Your Cooking?

These powerful-flavored fennel seeds ideally complement vegetable soup, delicate white fish, tomato salad, or grilled meat. They also pair well with poultry accompanied by a creamy sauce and chanterelle mushrooms or a fresh goat cheese toast. Definitely worth trying on a charcuterie toast or mashed vegetables. Surprisingly delightful on homemade sautéed potatoes! Preferably crush them roughly in a mortar to retain all their flavors. Fennel is best added towards the end of cooking.

A Few Recipe Ideas for Using Fennel Seeds

• - Homemade Italian Sausages: Mix ground pork with fennel seeds, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Shape the mixture into sausages and cook them in a pan or on the grill until they are golden brown and cooked through;
• - Fennel Vegetable Curry: Sauté vegetables of your choice, such as bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, and potatoes, with onions and garlic in a pot. Add Indian spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds. Simmer with coconut milk until the vegetables are tender, then serve with basmati rice;
• - Grilled Fish with Fennel Seeds: Season fish fillets, such as salmon or sea bream, with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and crushed fennel seeds. Grill the fillets until cooked to your liking, then serve with a sauce made from yogurt and lime;
• - Fennel and Orange Biscuits: Add fennel seeds to your favorite biscuit recipe, pairing them with orange zest for a deliciously fragrant flavor. These biscuits will be perfect to accompany a cup of tea or coffee.

An Aniseed Note in Cooking Thanks to Fennel Seeds

When crushed or ground, they release an intense fragrance reminiscent of anise and licorice. Their flavor is both sweet and slightly bitter, making them versatile in many cuisines around the world.

Fennel Seed with Mediterranean Origins

Fennel, scientifically known as Foeniculum vulgare, is an herbaceous plant in the Apiaceae family, native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe and Western Asia. This hardy plant is characterized by its feathery leaves and hollow stems, topped with small umbrella-like yellow flowers. Fennel is often grown for its aromatic leaves, seeds, and edible bulbils.

Fennel Seed, a Culinary Journey Through the Centuries

Originally from the Mediterranean basin, fennel spread to all continents over time. Used as a condiment since antiquity, sweet fennel began to be cultivated in Tuscany in the late Middle Ages. Its popularity was amplified by Catherine de' Medici, who introduced it as one of the favorite vegetables of Italians. Claude Mollet, gardener to Henri IV and Louis XIII, contributed to its acclimatization to royal gardens. By the end of the 17th century, fennel was already being grown in northern France and the Netherlands. Today, it can still be found growing wild on Mediterranean coasts.