How is asafoeteda(ingu in kannada) which we use in south indian dishes is prepared?
Asafoetida is a hard aromatic resinous gum collected from certain species of giant fennels, plants of the genus ferula. It is sold in blocks or pieces as a gum and more frequently as a fine powder, sometimes crystalline or granulated. It is called devil’s dung because of its strong pungent smell due to the presence of sulfur compounds. Asafoetida is believed to have gotten its name from the Persian word aza (mastic resin) and a Latin word foetida meaning stinking. The perennial asafetida plants are native to the region between the Mediterranean and Central Asia, especially Afghanistan and Iran. Three different species are used in the production of asafoetida, ferula asafoetida, ferula foetida and ferula narthex, each of which shows slight differences in color and properties. Even though most of the world’s production of asafoetida comes from the Middle Eastern regions of Iran and Afghanistan, India is the major consumer of this spice. When the plants are about four or five years old, t
