Fennel Seed

Aromatic Fennel Seed has a decidedly licorice smell that greets you as soon as you open the jar, with undertones of molasses and a touch of pepper. Their up-front licorice flavor has a floral lift and a hint of peppery spice that comes in late, with a pleasantly bitter end note. The flavors linger at the back of the tongue and bring a verdant pungency to the table. Our Fennel Seed, from India, has a volatile oil content of approximately 1% by weight and is somewhat less sweet than European fennel.

Fennel has been in use since it first cropped up at the feet of the ancients in the Grecian basin of the Mediterranean, but it has a strangely uneventful history. Wars were not fought over it, fortunes were not made or broken. It has always been used as a celebratory spice, burned to honor handsome Adonis, or eaten by athletes for its healthful properties. In Greek mythology, however, fennel has had one particularly notable use. When the titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods and brought it down to mankind, he carried it in the hollow stalk of a fennel plant. Which, of course, gives us one more reason to celebrate it.

Tips From Our Kitchen

To make your Fennel Seed sweeter, toast seeds in a dry pan to bring out the volatile oils. This keeps the licorice flavor front and center, but eliminates the bitter notes. Use whole in marinara sauce or sausages, or if you’re baking them into breads or flatbreads. Toasted seeds can be ground in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and added to lemon vinaigrette. Use Fennel Seed to coat fish before baking or sauté with onions as a base flavor in cioppino. Fennel Seed goes wonderfully with lemon, so make them your secret ingredient in lemon cakes or, candy the seeds and use to top muffins. Our Ground Fennel is also available if you'd like us to take care of the grinding for you.

Our Fennel Seed is grown in India.

This product is certified kosher.

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