 |
Sweet Fennel
Scientific Name: Foeniculum vulgare
Family: Umbelliferae
|
Fennel was widely known in ancient Greece, and the name of a region, Marathon, where it grew profusely, was derived from the Greek name for fennel, marathon. There is even earlier information about this plant of the parsley family, in a papyrus dating back to 1500 B.C. A description of fennel can also be found in the works of Pliny, who described it as a medicinal, rather than a food plant, which, together with other essences, was used in an infusion for the eyes. However, not until the sixteenth century could some small and sparse cultivations of this sweet-smelling herb be found in Europe, particularly in central and southern Italy. Today a wild fennel (Foeniculum officinale) is recognized as native to the Canary Isles and naturalized for several centuries around the Mediterranean, and also a sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) whose taste has made it one of the most popular garden vegetables. The wild fennel, known in England as Florence fennel, is mostly used in liqueurs and pharmaceutically. The roots and seeds of the wild variety have diuretic and digestive properties, and the seeds are also used for the extraction of an essential oil. Sweet fennel, besides being used for its seeds, and eaten in large quantities as a condiment or a source of the essential oil, may also be eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable. The edible portion is provided by the leaves and the white and fleshy bulbous stem. Sweet fennel has little nutritive value, having almost the lowest number of calories of any vegetable. Carbohydrates, protein and lipids hardly reach 1% each. Vitamin C is also scarce, while there are only traces of vitamin B1 and niacin. Fennel is essentially composed of water, cellulose, and a volatile oil, anethole, diffused in the entire plant and particularly in the seeds. It is therefore because of its fragrance and flavor that this plant is considered to be so appetizing and refreshing, to such a degree that its use, once confined to Italy, is now spreading across the Continent and even farther afield. All types of fennel can be eaten raw or cooked, and in the latter case they should be briefly parboiled to make them more tender and digestible. After being drained, they can be stewed with butter, or served au gratin. Fennel is thought to act as a stimulant, a tonic, a digestive, and an appetizer. [Bianchini, Francesco, Corbetta, Francesco, Pistoia, Marilena, The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables, United States Translation: Crown Publishers, New York, 1976; Originally published in Italy as I Frutti della Terra, Arnoldo Mondadori Publisher, Italy, 1973]