Fennel characteristics

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a flowering plant in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean coast, but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially in dry lands near sea coasts and river banks.

It is a highly flavorful herb used in cooking and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the main ingredients in absinthe. Fennel or Florentine fennel is a selection with a bulb-like, swollen stem base that is used as a vegetable.

Giant fennel (Ferula communis) is a large, coarse plant, with a spicy aroma, that grows wild in the Mediterranean region and is only occasionally cultivated in gardens. Other species of the genus Ferula are also called giant fennel, but are not culinary herbs.
In North America, fennel can be found growing in the same habitat and alongside the native species osha (Ligusticum porteri) and Lomatium, relatives in the parsley family.

Cultivation
Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly flavored leaves and fruits. 
Florentine fennel is a group of varieties with swollen leaf bases that form a bulb-like structure. It is of cultivated origin and has a mild aniseed flavor, but is sweeter and more aromatic. Florentine fennel plants are smaller than the wild type. Several varieties of Florentine fennel are also known by many other names, most notably the Italian name finocchio. 
Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum' or 'Nigra', the 'bronze-leafed' fennel, is widely available as an ornamental garden plant.

Fennel has naturalized along roadsides, in pastures, and other open locations in many regions, including northern Europe, the United States, southern Canada, and much of Asia and Australia. In western North America, fennel can be found from the coastal and inland wild-urban interface east to hills and mountainous areas, excluding desert habitats.

History of fennel
The Greek name for fennel is marathon (μαραθόν) or fennel, and the site of the famous Battle of Marathon literally means a plain of fennel. The word is first attested in Mycenaean Linear B as ma-ra-tu-wo. In Hesiod's Theogony, Prometheus steals the embers of fire from the gods in a hollow stalk of fennel.
As an Old English perfection, fennel is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon charm of the nine herbs, recorded in the 10th century.

Etymology
Fennel came into Old English from the Old French fenoil which in turn came from the Latin faeniculum, a diminutive of faenum, meaning "hay".

Recommendation

Fennel essential oil from the seeds and aerial parts of the plant, using the steam distillation method.

Chemical composition of fennel essential oil.         
The aromatic character of fennel fruits comes from volatile oils that impart mixed aromas, such as trans-anethole and estragole (liking licorice), fenchone (mint and camphor), limonene, 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom). Other phytochemicals found in fennel fruits include polyphenols, such as rosmarinic acid and luteolin, among others in small amounts.


Fennel was valued by the ancient Greeks and Romans who used it as medicine, food, and insect repellent. A fennel tea was believed to give courage to warriors before battle. According to Greek mythology, Prometheus used a giant fennel stalk to carry fire from Mount Olympus to Earth. Emperor Charlemagne required the cultivation of fennel on all imperial farms.

Florentine fennel is one of the three main herbs used in the preparation of absinthe, an alcoholic mixture that originated as a medicinal elixir in Europe and became, in the late 19th century, a popular alcoholic beverage in France and other countries. Fennel is a common and traditional spice in the aromatic Scandinavian brännvin (a loosely defined group of distilled alcoholic beverages, which includes akvavit). Fennel also appears in the Chinese Materia Medica for its medicinal functions.

Diet
One raw fennel bulb (235 g) consists of water, 2.91 g protein, 0.47 g fat and 17.2 g carbohydrates (including 7.28 g dietary fibre and 9.24 g sugars), providing a total of 72.8 calories (kcal) of energy. The 235 g bulb provides calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, trace elements zinc, copper and selenium, vitamin C. As well as choline, several B vitamins, folate, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Dried fennel fruits are commonly used as a spice and are usually eaten only in small quantities. A reference amount of 100 grams of fennel fruits provides 345 kilocalories of food energy and is a rich source of protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and several dietary minerals. 

Cuisine
The bulb, foliage, and fruit of the fennel plant are used in many of the world's culinary traditions. The small flowers of wild fennel (known as fennel "pollen") are the most potent form of fennel, but also the most expensive. Dried fennel fruit is an aromatic spice with an anise-like flavor and is brown or green in color when fresh. For cooking, the green fruits are best. The leaves are mildly flavored and similar in shape to those of dill. The bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, cooked, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. The tender young leaves are used for garnishes, as a salad, to flavor salads, to flavor sauces to be served with puddings, as well as in soups and fish sauce. Both the swollen leaf bases and the tender young shoots can be eaten like celery.

Fennel is also used as a flavoring in some natural toothpastes. The fruits are used in cooking and in sweet desserts.

 In Iraq, fennel seeds are used as an ingredient in breads. It is one of the most important spices in Kashmiri cuisine and Gujarati cooking. It is a key ingredient in Assamese/Bengali/Oriya spice blends and in Chinese five-spice powders. In many parts of India, roasted fennel fruits are consumed as mukhwas, an after-meal digestive and breath freshener (saunf), or candied as a comfit. 

Many egg, fish and other dishes use fresh or dried fennel leaves. Florentine fennel is a staple in some Italian salads or can be simmered and served as a hot side dish. It can be marinated or cooked in risotto. Fennel seeds are the main flavoring ingredient in Italian sausage. In Spain, the stems of the fennel plant are used to make pickled eggplants, berenjenas de Almagro. An herbal tea or tisane can be made from fennel.
Due to its aromatic properties, fennel is one of the components of the well-known compound in licorice powder.