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.