Fennel seed

Foeniculum vulgare · saunf · mouri

Licorice-sweet: the seed that ends the meal.

What it is

Fennel seeds are small, pale-green, ridged seeds with a clean, sweet, licorice-like flavour. They work as both a cooking spice and, famously, a mouth-freshener chewed after a meal. One of the five seeds of panch phoron.

Where it comes from

Grown across the subcontinent and the Mediterranean, fennel is used whole in tempering and blends, and offered (sometimes sugar-coated), as a post-meal digestive across the region.

What it's called

Fennel seed · saunf (Hindi) · mouri (Bengali). Botanically Foeniculum vulgare.

In the kitchen

Whole seeds bloom in hot oil for a licorice note in vegetables, fish and pickles, and join panch phoron; ground fennel sweetens a masala. Toasted and offered plain or candied, they close a meal. Their sweetness balances heat and bitterness in a blend.

What we know about the claims

Fennel's long use as a digestive and mouth-freshener has some preliminary study; chewed or cooked in small amounts, it is a pleasant flavour with a settling reputation. An everyday, wholesome seed.

Choosing and buying

Whole seeds in every South Asian grocer and most supermarkets (UK and US). Buy whole and green; toast lightly to lift the aroma.