General Information
NameFennel
Scientific NameFoeniculum vulgare
DescriptionFennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a flowering plant species native to the shores of the Mediterranean. It is widely consumed in Italy, France, and other parts of Europe. The bulb, foliage, and fruits of the fennel plant are used in various culinary traditions, including sautéing, stewing, braising, grilling, or eating raw. The leaves are delicately flavored and used as garnishes, in salads, and to flavor sauces. The bulb is a crisp vegetable, while the fruits are aromatic, anise-flavored, and brown or green in color. Fennel has a sweet, anise-like taste and a mild, sweet odor. It is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and has been associated with several health benefits, including reducing inflammation and improving digestion (PMID: 36803269). The most notable chemical in fennel is anethole, a compound with medicinal properties (PMID: 25162032). Fennel has been used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, including indigestion and respiratory issues. A peculiar mode of preparation involves combining fennel with similar spices, such as anise, star anise, and coriander, to create a unique flavor profile.
Primary IDFOOD00082
Picture82
Classification
GroupHerbs and Spices
Sub-GroupHerbs
ITIS ID29509
Wikipedia IDFennel
Composition
Compounds
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References
Content Reference— Duke, James. 'Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. United States Department of Agriculture.' Agricultural Research Service, Accessed April 27 (2004).
— Saxholt, E., et al. 'Danish food composition databank, revision 7.' Department of Nutrition, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (2008).
— U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2008. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page.
— Rothwell JA, Pérez-Jiménez J, Neveu V, Medina-Ramon A, M'Hiri N, Garcia Lobato P, Manach C, Knox K, Eisner R, Wishart D, Scalbert A. (2013) Phenol-Explorer 3.0: a major update of the Phenol-Explorer database to incorporate data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content. Database, 10.1093/database/bat070.
— Shinbo, Y., et al. 'KNApSAcK: a comprehensive species-metabolite relationship database.' Plant Metabolomics. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2006. 165-181.