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Fennel: Multitasking Vegetable, Ancient Birth Control

While fennel has long been touted as a tasty and creative food, once upon a time it was also big business. In the ancient world, a variety of giant fennel known as silphium made a fortune for Cyrene, a Greek colony in North Africa, now Libya. Silphium was so essential to the Cyrenian economy that its image appeared on their coins, both as a heart-shaped seed pod—possibly the source of the classic heart icon that pops up today on Valentines—or accompanied by the image of a woman pointing suggestively to her pubis.

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Featured

 Don't Forget the Fennel

If you've never cooked with fennel, you're not alone. For years, I avoided the bulbous green and white vegetable labeled "sweet anise" because I associated it with black licorice. Who in their right mind would want to taste black licorice at the dinner table? But then I learned anise and "sweet anise" are two very different things. Anise is a pungent pint-sized herb, while "sweet anise" — or fennel — is a hearty vegetable with a thick, bulbous base and celery-like stems that grow upward to 5 feet tall. It has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than anise.

 The perfect... fennel

Obtaining fennel perfection is a matter, first and foremost, of obtaining the perfect fennel for the job. Or, to put it another way: first get your fennel, then decide how to render it perfect. Look first at size, which with fennel matters an awful lot. There are tiny ones, sometimes no bigger than a newborn's hand; medium, maybe in the manual region of Kylie Minogue; gigantic, where you're looking at something along the lines of Lennox Lewis. Make your buy, then make your plans.

Articles of Interest

Elegant Fennel, Underappreciated No More

AT the market or in the produce section, when the elegant celadon-green fennel bulb beckons, I never resist. I’ve had a love affair with fennel ever since I can remember, or at least for a very long time. It is a vegetable that is still underappreciated in this country, as opposed to Italy, where it is as common as cauliflower. If I can help boost its status here, I am happy to do so.

Fennel And Digestive Health

Fennel is loaded with fiber that may help relieve constipation and keep things moving properly in the digestive tract. A tablespoon (6 grams) of dried fennel seeds gives about 2 grams of fiber. Aside from this, fennel plants and fennel seeds were found to possess antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties...

Fennel looking a bit feeble? Growing enough veggies to feed yourself depends on these 3 things

Proper management of inputs – particularly fertiliser – is also key. Our research has found urban gardeners can choose from a variety of organic waste-based fertilisers such as spent coffee grounds, food scraps or lawn clippings. But this abundance can lead to imbalances.

Fennel: Getting to Know Your Herbal Allies

But have you heard of the numerous healthful benefits it provides? Fennel has been used therapeutically for centuries, renowned for having the ability to stimulate the appetite, strengthen digestion, and provide a comfortable post-meal experience. And that's not all fennel has to offer. There's so much more to learn about this unique herbal ally!

Foeniculum vulgare Mill: A Review of Its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Contemporary Application, and Toxicology

Foeniculum vulgare Mill commonly called fennel has been used in traditional medicine for a wide range of ailments related to digestive, endocrine, reproductive, and respiratory systems. Additionally, it is also used as a galactagogue agent for lactating mothers.

Health Benefits of Fennel

Not very familiar with this bulbous seasonal veggie? Here's what to know.

Singing the Praises of Fennel

The fennel is beyond every other vegetable, delicious. It greatly resembles in appearance the largest size celery, perfectly white, and there is no vegetable equals it in flavor. It is eaten at dessert, crude, and with, or without dry salt. Indeed I preferred it to every other vegetable or to any fruit.

The Amazing Health Benefits of Fennel

You’ve probably heard of fennel before, but do you know all of the health benefits you can experience when you add them to your diet? It’s actually pretty surprising. What many people never knew is that fennel seeds are a culinary masterpiece, blending rich flavor, enticing aroma, and surprising health benefits into every tiny pod.

What Is Fennel and How Do You Use It?

Is fennel a spice, herb, or vegetable? Actually, it’s all three. Fennel plants, which are native to the Mediterranean basin, have a bulbous base that can be eaten like a vegetable, feathery fronds that are used as an herb, and seeds that can be dried for a spice. In Italy, the plant's pollen is even gathered and added to dishes as a saffron-like spice.

Why You Should Be Eating More Fennel Right Now

Fortunately, there is fennel. Depending how you prepare it, this aromatic bulb can be fresh and crisp, a welcome break from the heavy flavors of winter, or it can be sweet and tender, as comforting as that cardigan you’re not quite ready to relinquish.

Resources

14 Surprising Health Benefits of Drinking Fennel Seed Water at Night – Backed by Science

Looking for a gentle, natural way to support your health while you sleep? A warm cup of fennel seed water might be just what your body needs. Though tiny, fennel seeds pack a powerful punch of nutrients and bioactive compounds—especially when steeped in water and sipped before bed. From easing digestion to promoting restful sleep, fennel seed water has been used in traditional wellness for centuries, and now modern science is catching up.

Top 10 health benefits of fennel

Fennel is a vegetable that is white-green in colour and bulb-like in appearance, with green stems and fronds. Varieties such as the Florence or Finocchio are treated as a vegetable, but you can also buy fennel as a herb with foliage resembling dill. A member of the Apiaceae (carrot and celery) family, it’s grown for its edible shoots, leaves and seeds, and has a strong aniseed flavour, making it an attractive and versatile ingredient.