Fennel is a versatile vegetable with a mildly sweet and slightly spicy flavor. Both the bulbs and leaves are edible and contain vitamins and minerals. Fennel can be grown in most conditions and climates and is often used in salads, soups, and cooked vegetables. It is low in calories and provides essential nutrients.
Fennel is an unripe type of fennel, a vegetable often used to garnish sweet and savory dishes. The herb comes from the Mediterranean region, but modern day growers from all over the world can grow this plant if enough sun and water are available. Both the bulbs and leaves of the fennel plant are edible and contain a fair amount of vitamins and minerals.
Foeniculum vulgare, the scientific name for fennel, is actually part of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family. This family of plants includes parsley, anise and dill, among other herbs and vegetables. Many compare the taste of aniseed to that of ripe fennel and wild fennel. Dill and fennel leaves look remarkably similar but taste distinctly different.
Most conditions and climates are suitable for this plant, but it thrives best in coastal soils that get plenty of direct sunlight. Although fennel originated along the Mediterranean coast, it now grows naturally in dry soils near seas and rivers around the world. Growers can usually grow a fennel plant year-round in any region, as long as the plant gets enough sunlight and the soil isn’t too dense, loamy, or wet.
The fennel bulb has a mildly sweet and slightly spicy flavor while the leaves of the plant have a stronger flavor comparable to licorice. Fennel leaves are often used to flavor salads, soups and cooked vegetables. Some cooks also use the leaves to flavor poultry and fish, but few use it for meats such as pork or beef. The plant’s seeds, which are as sweet as the bulbs, are often used in Italian sausage and rye bread.
The bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked. A chef may cook, boil or steam the bulbs, season them with pepper or other spices, and serve the cooked vegetable as a side dish. Some cooks may even add finely chopped bulbs into stir-fries, stews, or other dishes made up of multiple vegetables. Fennel should be used fresh whenever possible, as the flavor fades once the plant has dried. An individual can store freshly harvested fennel, placed in an airtight plastic bag or plastic wrap, in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to four to five days.
Fennel is a low-fat and low-calorie vegetable. One cup of chopped fennel contains only about 30 calories. The vegetable also provides substantial amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin and potassium, as well as small amounts of dietary fiber, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus.
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