The Science of Spice

95

FENNEL

Fe

Flavour Group | SWEET WARMING PHENOLS | Fennel

RELEASE THE FLAVOUR

Fennel’s flavour-containing

oils are housed within

hollow tubes (canals) just beneath

the outer ridges of the fruits.

BLENDING SCIENCE

The main sweet aniseed flavour of fennel comes from powerful anethole, while

penetrating fenchone contributes bitter pungency, and small amounts of citrusy

limonene and pine-scented pinene are also present.

FOOD PARTNERS

Plums and figs Add toasted

seeds when poaching or making jams

and chutneys.

Fruiting vegetables Stir ground

fennel into an aubergine, courgette,

and tomato caponata stew.

Pork and beef Mix into meatballs

or lightly crush with salt as a rub for

roasting pork belly skin.

Oily fish Crush with a little pepper

and salt and then sprinkle on top of fish

fillets before frying.

Almonds Sprinkle sugar mixed

with crushed fennel over warm

almond biscuits.

BLENDS TO TRY

Try these recipes for classic blends featuring fennel, or why

not adapt them with some blending science?

Panch phoran p43

Five-spice powder p60

Kitchen

creativity

enhance the fresh,

fruity side with

another limonene:

cardamom’s

penetrating

eucalyptus-like

cineole also helps

to counterbalance

anethole

pair with other

sweet spices

containing

liquorice-like

compounds:

anise and star

anise are dominated

by anethole and add

herby, floral aromas

dill seed brings

minty, liquorice-like

carvone and citrus

notes of limonene

nutmeg is similarly

sweetening; eugenol

is a match for anethole

combine with other

pinenes to

complement the

woody spice notes:

black pepper adds

a pungent warmth

cumin contributes

an earthy, slightly

bitter flavour

draw out fennel’s

penetrating,

camphorous side:

cassia’s camphor

will highlight the

fenchone, but its

sweetness will balance

bitter notes

Fennel enhances both sweet and savoury foods with its mild aniseed character. The

spice is most notable as a flavouring for Italian salami, and for its use in masala blends

throughout South Asia, from Kashmir to Sri Lanka.

Grinding the seeds will break the

canals and help the oils to escape.

Dry frying beforehand will create

new roasted, nutty pyrazine flavours,

which quickly combine with

existing flavour compounds.

ANETHOLE

sweet | herby |

aniseed

LIMONENE

citrus | herby |

turpentine

PINENE

woody | spicy |

pine-like

FENCHONE

camphorous | bitter |

pungent

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