What is Fennel Seed?
Technically, fennel seeds are not seeds at all, but actually the fruits of the sweet fennel plant, an herb which has been cultivated for culinary use for thousands of years. However, most cooks call the fruits “seeds” by convention, since they are small and usually sold in a dry form which looks exactly like a seed. There are many culinary uses for fennel seed, especially in Mediterranean and Indian cuisine. Many stores stock fennel seed, typically dry and whole. It can also be easily grown in any garden in a temperate zone, although fennel has a tendency to take over, so the plant should be encouraged with care.
Technically, fennel seeds are not seeds at all, but actually the fruits of the sweet fennel plant, an herb which has been cultivated for culinary use for thousands of years. However, most cooks call the fruits “seeds” by convention, since they are small and usually sold in a dry form which looks exactly like a seed. There are many culinary uses for fennel seed, especially in Mediterranean and Indian cuisine. Many stores stock fennel seed, typically dry and whole. It can also be easily grown in any garden in a temperate zone, although fennel has a tendency to take over, so the plant should be encouraged with care. There are several different cultivars of the fennel plant, which is also called Foeniculum vulgare. One cultivar, Florence fennel or finocchio, is cultivated for use as a vegetable. It produces a large bulb and thick stalks which can be cooked like a root vegetable. Sweet fennel, on the other hand, is a bulbless fennel which produces green fronds and fruits, and it is used lik
