(Ferula foetida) Recognized by its overwhelming odour which has given rise to at least one of its many popular names, "devil's dung". A member of the umbelliferae plant family, it originally was a native of Persia and Afghanistan. Very useful for spasmodic flatulence and colic.
A spice used in Roman, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking in very small amounts.
Hing. Gum obtained from root of giant fennel-like plant. Used in powder or resin form. A rather smelly spice.
A spice used in India and the Middle East for cooking or as a condiment to be sprinkled over food after it has been cooked. It has a bitter taste and a pungent aroma similar to garlic and truffles.
A hard resinous gum, grayish white in color when fresh. Will darken with age to yellow, red and eventually brown. It is normally sold in blocks or pieces as a gum and more frequently as a fine yellow powder. Sometimes sold in crystalline or granulated form. It has a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulfur but will dissipates with cooking. On its own, it is extremely unpleasant like concentrated rotten garlic. However when cooked, it adds an onion-like flavor to the dish.
the brownish gum resin of various plants; has strong taste and odor; formerly used as an antispasmodic
An extremely pungent spice extracted from the resinous...
An extremely pungent spice extracted from a plant of the giant fennel family, commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. In fact, asafoetida's dung-like smell is quite off-putting (the Germans call it Teufelsdreck or devil's dung), but if you can overcome the stink, which disappears in the cooking process, the smallest amount of it transforms vegetable dishes, meat stews and fish.
Hing, Kayam. This is the sap or resin from a giant fennel-like plant. Although this resin is available in block or powdered form, buy the powder. It is an aroma enhancer and a strong aid to digestion particularly in lentil (dhal) dishes
Asafoetida (Ferula assafoetida, family Apiaceae), alternative spelling asafetida, but also known as devil's dung, stinking gum, asant, food of the gods and giant fennel, is a species of Ferula native to Iran. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 2 m tall, with stout, hollow, somewhat succulent stems 5-8 cm diameter at the base of the plant. The leaves are 30-40 cm long, tripinnate or even more finely divided, with a stout basal sheath clasping the stem.
