Florence fennel

From left) Carrot In flower parsnip parsley Florence fennel... 

The root essential oil contains (on average) a-pinene (1.0%), p-cymene (0.3%), /f-lenchyl-acetate (1.0%), trans-anethole (1.6%), eugenol (0.2%), myristicin (3%) and dillapiole (87%). On the other hand, the root and bulbous stem base of Florence fennel contains less than 1% of dillapiole but 70% of trans-anethole, giving a very different taste. The herbage contains 1.00—2.55% essential oil, up to 75% of which is trans-anethole. Anethole and fenchone... 

In India, it is an essential ingredient in the Bengali spice mixture panch phoron and in Chinese five-spice powders. In the west, fennel seed is a very common ingredient in Italian sausages and northern European rye breads. Many egg, fish and other dishes employ fresh or dried fennel leaves. Florence fennel is a key ingredient in some Italian and German salads, often tossed with chicory and avocado, or it can be braised and served as a warm side dish. One may also blanch and/or marinate the leaves, or cook them in risotto. In all cases, the leaves lend their characteristically mild, anise-like flavour. 

In summary, Foeniculum is stated to have three species, F. vulgare (fennel), F. azoricum Mill. (Florence fennel) and F. dulce (sweet fennel). Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native habitat and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly flavoured leaves and seeds. The flavour is similar to, but milder than, that of anise and star anise. Anethole and fenchone are the major constituents of the solvent extract of seed phenols, free fatty acids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals have been reported in varying proportions. In the mature fruit, up to 95% of the essential oil is located in the fruit, greater amounts being found in the fully ripe fruit. Approximately 45 constituents have been determined from fennel seed oil, the main constituents being frans-anethole, fenchone, estragol (methyl chavicol), limonene, camphene, a-pinene and other monoterpenes, fenchyl alcohol and... 

Common/vernacular names Florence fennel and finocchio. 

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