Fennel wild
There are 3 different varieties of fennel:
- The vegetable or bulbous fennel
- The spicy or sweet fennel
- The wild fennel
The perennial fennel plant is grown as a spice in two forms:
1. Wild fennel or also known as bitter fennel and
2. Spiced Fennel = Sweet Fennel.
Fennel is grown throughout Europe. Real fennel tastes sweet, anise-like and contains licorice notes, while bitter fennel lacks sweetness and the aromatic components are much more intense.
Fennel gives both sweet and savory dishes a gentle aniseed character. It is most prominent as a flavor in Italian salami, absinthe and masala spice mixtures. Fennel is also one of the five main ingredients in the Bengali five-spice mixture, the so-called Panch Phoron. In this country and also in India, fennel is valued as a digestive. And if you have ever overstrained your taste buds with hot spices, chewing whitefish seeds can soothe them miraculously.
Fennel goes well with roasted cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant. It is also worth sprinkling a fatty fish or sea bream with this spice before frying. Fennel belongs in every mushroom cream soup and also in grain risotto (Kernotto).
