Product Description
PURPOSE
WHAT IS IT?
If you’ve never heard of fenugreek, don’t panic— you’re not alone — but that doesn’t mean you should remain in the dark on this delicious spice. Not only is it easy to use in recipes, but it has a tremendous history as a medicinal herb. Fenugreek (/ˈfɛnjᵿɡriːk/; Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae. The little pebble like seeds are primary used as a aromatic spice in Indian and South Asian cuisine.
EXPERIENCE
When raw, the fenugreek seed has a fresh, clean smell of curry powder and celery. An intriguing combination that’s curious to most westerners while simultaneously invigorating. When the seeds are toasted they begin to smell and taste like maple syrup.
CULINARY GEOGRAPHY
Fenugreek is grown all over South Asia in semi-arid climates and in sandy soils near coastal waters. They are best represented in India and Pakistan although they’re also grown in Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh, Argentina, Egypt, France, Spain, Turkey, and Morocco. There is cultivation on a more limited basis in North America in Florida, California, Utah, and throughout much of Canada.
TRADITIONAL USES
- Pickling spice
- Blended into bread flours
- Added to tea to improve digestion
- Important spice in curry recipes
IMPROVISATIONAL ‘RIFFS’
- Stir into melted butter for roasted carrots or squash
- Add tiny amounts to tomato sauce for mysterious depth
- Blend into maple syrup glaze for bacon or sausages
Safety
Fenugreek can be an allergen, especially for people who have peanut or chickpea sensitivities.
Best to avoid use if:
- You take anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs.
- Are pregnant. Fenugreek seeds may affect uterine contractions. The seed powder is recommended in small doses for breast milk supply enhancement after birth, though;
- They may be unsafe for women with hormone-sensitive cancers.
- The seeds have been linked to birth defects in India, although American health centers like the NIH and the FDA do not validate those studies, and it is a cultivated American crop recognized by the FDA.
THE BACKSTORY
Fenugreek is believed to have been brought into cultivation in the Near East. While Zohary and Hopf are uncertain which wild strain of the genus Trigonella gave rise to domesticated fenugreek, charred fenugreek seeds have been recovered from Tell Halal, Iraq, (carbon dated to 4000 BC) and Bronze Age levels of Lachish and desiccated seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamen.
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