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has spread across much of Europe and in some countries around the world it is considered a weed! It is a perennial tap rooted plant that can reach a height of up to 3 m! The scientific name of the fennel plant is Foeniculum vulgare, and it is from the family Apiaceae, the family of carrots, celery, and parsley. Fennel is highly aromatic and is used for flavouring anything from bread and salamis, cured fish and herbal teas. But it also has curative properties and can even be mixed with clay to make toothpaste…yum!
ove it or hate it there is no escaping the swathe of untamed, feathery fennel that paints our landscape. For many, fennel, in any shape or form, is Home. To others it conjures nightmarish visions of regrettable nights fuelled by Absinthe. The Maltese hand instinctively reaches for the fennel seeds and throws them unapologetically into as many dishes as it can. Others retch if they catch a whiff of it. This is down to the Anethole which gives fennel its aroma. It is similar to anise and star anise, but less pungent.
#FENNEL.
Fennel goes way back in history and is steeped in mythological associations and lore. It all started in Marathon, Greece, where Athens and Persia had a battle. Fennel grew naturally and that’s why Ancient civilizations called it marathon. It became the symbol of the first marathon when someone ran from Athens to Sparta to ask for help. The Ancient Greeks also considered fennel as a godly food, and it was believed that the vegetable distributed godly knowledge through charcoal in the vegetable’s stalks. The prized plant became such a key pillar of the Cyrenean economy that its likeness
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was stamped upon many of the city’s gold and silver coins and even Egyptians used the plant to decorate and embellish during spiritual ceremonies. Prometheus is also believed to have stolen fire from the eternal fire of Olympus to give to humans, being severely punished for doing so.
Wild fennel is a hardy, draught-resistant plant, typical of the Mediterranean and its temperate climate thriving in coastal areas. But because its seeds spread quickly and easily it Generally speaking, there are two types of fennel: cultivated and wild.
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The cultivated variety comes with a much larger and distinct edible part called the heart and is sweet and less pungent compared to wild fennel. Commercially speaking, cultivated fennel can be broken down into 3 varieties: the sativum, cultivated for its seeds is very aromatic and used in condiments or to distil; the dulce, known for its bulbs; and the piperitum, cultivated for its flower clusters used in condiments. Harvesting of wild fennel can take place at various stages of its growing season, from March through to Sep-
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B Y K E I T H A BEL A
BY SAM PIZZUTO
B Y S A M D E G A E TA N O
FE N N E L + A P P L E TART E TAT IN
CHICKEN TA C O WITH FEN N EL
CON FIT FEN N EL ON A BEET +
W I T H B R A I S E D P ORK
S L AW AN D CON FIT G AR LIC MAYO
YOG U RT SALA D
