What are Fennel Seeds?

Fennel Seeds (also known as Fennel spice) are small aromatic seeds with a green to yellow-brown colour and are used to flavour sweet and savoury food, infuse alcoholic drinks, pickling juices, marinades and teas. In addition, fennel seeds are scientifically proven to hold many health benefits.

What does fennel seed taste like?

The seed’s distinctive smell and taste are similar to that of liquorice (or aniseed) with warm, earthy and slightly sweet undertones.

How to use fennel seeds

Fennel seeds add spice to dishes in countries across the world, particularly Italian specialities such as salami, porchetta, fish dishes and tomato-based stews. South Asian and Sri Lankan recipes use fennel seeds heavily as part of their famous ‘masala spice blends’ which form the base of a variety of meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan curries.

What does a fennel plant look like

Fennel has a round bulb that grows underground with a long, green, feathery top sticking straight up high out of the soil. The feathery leaves that resemble dill, can also be used as a herb garnish.

Among the leaves are small yellow flowers and this is where the fennel seeds are produced. Every part of the plant is edible, from the bulb, feathery leaves, flowers and of course the seeds.

How do you get seeds from fennel?

During the late summer / early autumn season when the fennel plant reaches the end of the blooming cycle, the small yellow sprouting flower head turn brown.

The heads are then cut away from the plant and left to completely dry. Once they are fully dry, the seeds are easily shaken loose from the stem.

How to cook with fennel seeds

Fennel seeds can be used whole or toasted and ground down into a powder. Options are quite endless when it comes to adding them in savoury and sweet dishes. They pair especially well with tomato-based sauces, fresh fish dishes, and roasted chicken but the most pleasing pairing is definitely with pork.

Toasted and grind the seeds and mix with other spices to flavour soups, curries and stews. Sweet dishes using fennel include cakes, biscuits or orange candies. Keep scrolling to the bottom of this post for recipes using fennel.

Should fennel seeds be roasted or raw?

To release the seeds maximum flavour you should always roast fennel seeds beforehand adding them to your dish or crushing down into a powder.

How do you toast fennel seeds in a pan

The fastest method is to toast fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, moving the seeds around the pan often, until they become fragrant. They can then be added whole to your cooking or finely grinded down into a powder.

Fennel Flavour pairings and spice mixes

Spices that pair with fennel include:

Anise, star anise, dill seed, nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper, cumin, coriander seeds cassia, cinnamon, turmeric, cloves and fenugreek.

Popular spice mixes using fennel seeds: Madras Curry Powder, Chinese 5 Spice, Garam Masala,

Fennel and alcohol

Without realising you may have already recognised the taste of fennel before you knew what it was. Fennel is one of the three main herbs used in the production of absinthe, a notorious alcoholic drink which was first invented as a medicinal elixir and by the late 19th century, a popular apparent ‘mind-altering’ alcoholic drink in Europe.

Fennel is commonly used in Scandinavian distilled spirits such as the digestive akvavit. Distilled into various digestive Italian liqueurs, the most globally known being Sambuca. And playing quite a dominant role along with anise, fennel is instantly recognisable in the French classic, Pastis.

Health Benefits of Fennel

Fennel is said to have many health benefits, acting as a stimulant to digestion and producing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. Chewed or soaked into tea, vitamins C, E and K, along with Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Potassium, Selenium, and Iron are also there to contribute to blood pressure and circulation. Fennel seeds are also widely used in Chinese medicine and for commercial purposes in cough medicines, soaps and perfumes.

What is a good substitute for fennel?

With such a distinct flavour it can be tricky to find a direct substitute but there are a few options possible. Here are four options that can be applied to achieve similar results.

• Anise
• Liquorice root
• Caraway seeds
• A splash of Pernod (Patis)

Recipes on Flaevor using Fennel Seeds

Spiced Ricotta Honey Toast

Creamy ricotta on crusty toasted bread, topped with honey lightly roasted and crushed fennel and coriander. Simple ingredients are cleverly combined to create this truly divine eating experience. Recipe for Spiced Ricotta Honey Toast here:

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Pasta

A quick and very tasty pasta made simply by roasting fresh tomatoes and then crushing their sticky umami juices into a frying pan of sauteed garlic and roasted fennel seeds. Rich depth of flavour with half the cooking time of other tinned-tomato versions. Recipe for Roasted Tomato and Fennel Pasta here:

Caponata with Pork and Fennel Meatballs

Caponata is a Sicilian dish made with aubergine, celery and courgettes stewed in a thick tomato sauce and flavoured with black olives and capers. Topped with juicy pork and fennel meatballs, it’s one of the most comforting and tastiest dishes you could ever eat: Recipe for Caponata with Pork and Fennel Meatballs

Madras Curry Powder

Madras curry powder is an Indian spice blend commonly used to flavour curries, meat, vegetable and grain dishes. Its versatility has made it one of the most popular spice blends today and one of the main ingredients is fennel. Recipe for Madras Curry Powder here:

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