| Short description - |
Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavored spice, brown or green in color when fresh, slowly turning a dull grey as the seed ages. For cooking, green seeds are optimal.[9] The leaves are delicately flavored and similar in shape to those of dill. The bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. Young tender leaves are used for garnishes, as a salad, to add flavor to salads, to flavor sauces to be served with puddings, and also in soups and fish sauce. |
| Distribution |
India is the leader in production .Major production centers of fennel in India are Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Haryana. |
| Biology |
Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is a perennial herb. It is erect, glaucous green, and grows to heights of up to 2.5 m, with hollow stems. The leaves grow up to 40 cm long; they are finely dissected, with the ultimate segments filiform (threadlike), about 0.5 mm wide. (Its leaves are similar to those of dill, but thinner.) The flowers are produced in terminal compound umbels 5–15 cm wide, each umbel section having 20–50 tiny yellow flowers on short pedicels. The fruit is a dry seed from 4–10 mm long, half as wide or less, and grooved. |
| Nutritional Information |
| Sodium 45 mg-1% ,Potassium 360 mg-10% ,Carbohydrate 6 g -2% ,Dietary fiber 2.7 g-10% ,Protein 1.1 g -2% ,Vitamin A -2% ,Vitamin C-17% ,Calcium-4% ,Iron -3% ,Magnesium-3%. |
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| Benefits |
A 100-gram portion of fennel seeds provides 1,440 kilojoules (345 kilocalories) of food energy, and it is a rich source (more than 19% of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and several dietary minerals, especially calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese, all of which exceed 100% DV (table). Fennel seeds are 52% carbohydrates, 15% fat, 40% dietary fiber, 16% protein and 9% water. |
