5 minute read
#FENNEL.
Love 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. 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!
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 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.
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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. 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 September. Despite its lack of large bulb most of the plant is still delicious and edible and is more aromatic than the cultivated. The leaves and stalk can be eaten raw or cooked however, the older the plant the tougher the stalks will become. The flowers are a great addition to salads and if you have the patience and the time you can harvest the pollen too. The seeds can be dried once they age but also added to dishes or eaten raw when they are green for a real punch of flavour. You can also dry the leaves and seeds to make herbal tea. Although we may think we know how to recognise fennel plants, always be sure that you have asked someone knowledge before consuming.
Medicinal magic.. Fresh fennel bulb is a great source of vitamin C and along with the seeds also contains Manganese which is important for enzyme activation, metabolism, cellular protection, bone development, blood sugar regulation, and wound healing. It’s a good digestive, diuretic, with detoxifying properties that helps in the haptic functions as well as being an antispasmodic. Essential oil of the plant has been shown to contain more than 87 volatile compounds, including the polyphenol antioxidants rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, and apigenin. Anethole, one of the main active compounds in fennel seeds, has been found to exhibit cancer-fighting properties.
Fennel also has strong estrogenic properties, meaning that it acts similarly to the hormone estrogen. This may help relieve menopausal symptoms, but high doses may be unsafe for pregnant women. Some studies suggest that fennel may increase milk secretion and weight gain in breastfeeding infants, yet other studies have shown no benefits. The weird and the wonderful… “Finocchio”, fennel in Italian, is a derogatory term for homosexuals, the association goes back to medieval times. According to legend, when homosexuals were burned at the stake by the Holy Inquisition, fennel was used to hide the smell of burnt flesh.
The derogatory associations with fennel don’t stop there as in ancient Italian fennel could be used to describe traitors and infamous individuals or someone of no value. On an apocraphyl attributed to Dante he writes: : “E quei, ch’io non credeva esser finocchi, / ma veri amici, e prossimi, già sono / venuti contra me con lancie, e stocchi” (“Those I thought to be friends were fennels instead, they came at me with spears and swords” . Throughout the ages, fennel has been credited with providing many benefits. It was once said that it will keep ghosts from entering a house if placed in keyholes, and that if you carry it, other people will trust your words and believe in you.
A long-lost version of the fennel we know today, known as giant fennels, and also known as laserwort, apparently provided the ancient world a much sought-after freedom: the opportunity to enjoy sex with very little risk of pregnancy! It was considered more than a folk remedy with scholars and doctors of the day advising that women should drink the juice with water once a month as it ‘not only prevents conception but also destroys anything existing.’
