There are enough reasons to eat fennel, especially since it is in the superfoods category for health and medicines. Fennel is a seasoning for many types of dishes, because of the anise flavor. I researched fennel and I found out that it's too bad we still choose more common vegetables, fennel is such an all-around product to eat. This is what I found during my research.

Foeniculum Vulgare?

Yeah! You read that correctly. Foeniculum Vulgare is a different word for fennel. Fennel is a thick cane of a fennel plant from the parsley family and can grow larger than one meter. Fennel is available throughout the whole year. The Dutch harvest is available from the middle of June until the end of October.

What can you use fennel for?

When the flowers of the fennel plant have fully grown, some green and dry seeds remain. These seeds can be used for healing, because it relaxes your stomach, intestines and bronchi. It also fights fevers, it removes slime from your throat and it also stills pain and cramp.
The fennel seeds are used in 4 different ways:

  1. You could get fennel oil by squeezing together the seeds. The oil is used in a lot of products, like in the flavouring in medicines. Fennel oil is the best way to use fennel seeds.
  2. You could grind the seeds into fennel powder. This powder is used for curries and stews.
  3. You could also use the seeds for tea by letting water extract flavour and goods from the seeds.
  4. Finally, you could also grill, steam, cook or stir-fry the seeds. It is also possible to eat it raw.

Health benefits from fennel

Fennel is a healthy and nutritious food which helps you with all kinds of health problems. What are the benefits? You can read it here.

  • Fennel seeds can help with problems surrounding your intestines or with menstrual disturbance.
  • It stimulates breastfeeding, because the ethereal oil in the seeds contains a lot of anethole.
  • Chewing on fennel seeds reduces your appetite.
  • Fennel contains a lot of antioxidants.
  • Fennel encourages your digestion.
  • Fennel also makes you smarter, because it contains a lot of calcium.
  • Finally, fennel contains a lot of vitamin C, which supports your immune system.

What does fennel taste like?

All the parts of the fennel plant have a fresh taste of anise, but the seeds also taste a bit sweet. Fennel is used for bread, salads, apple pies, sauces, soups, stews, fruit and fish. The fennel canes are often mixed with charcoal to create a whole new flavour for your food on the barbeque.

                                                                                                                        venkel binnenkant wit                                                      

Fun facts about fennel!

  • Fennel gives you a good breath.
  • If liquorish were a vegetable, it would be fennel.
  • Fennel does not contain a lot of calories and it could help you with some feminine problems. This is because the fennel seeds have the same characteristics as the feminine hormone oestrogen.
  • Fennel encourages the digestion and prevents the feeling you are bloated.
  • At last, fennel keeps away flies and mosquitoes in the summertime!

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Source:

  • Groei.nl
  • Lekkertafelen.nl
  • Tuinen.nl
  • Menselijklichaam.nl