| Latin Name : | Foeniculum vulgare |
| English Name : | Fennel |
| French Name : | Fenouil commun |
| Family : | Apiaceae |
| Origin : | France, Hungary |
History and Origin
Sweet Fennel shares common characteristics with anise and dill. It grows in the wild in Egypt, Southern Europe and Asia Minor. Fennel has also become common in the Americas, both cultivated and in the wild.
In Greek mythology, giant fennel was food for the Gods and he who consumed it gained access to knowledge. Fennel subsequently became a symbol when the Greeks fought and won over the Persians in a fennel field, in Marathon (490 B.C.). Pliny, Dioscoride and Hippocrates recommended fennel, among other things, as a galactogen (stimulating milk production) and vision enhancer. Fennel was also commonly used as a digestive.