FENNEL SEEDS.....

FENNEL SEEDS

                                                                                                                                   

"FENNEL"  in India is known by different names in different languages. In Hindi it is called 'SAUF', 'SONP' . In Bengali it is called 'PAN', 'MUHIN', 'MAURI'. In Gujarati it is called 'VARIARI' . In Kannada it is called as 'BADISOPU'. In Malayalam  it is called as 'PERUM JEERAKAM'. In Marathi it is called as'BADISHEP'. In Sanskrit it is called as 'MADHURIKA'. And in Tamil it is called as 'SOMPU'.
                    
            Fennel seeds are crispy and some what sugary , adding  an uplifting contribution to the increasing popular Mediterranean Cuisine .

 # HISTORY   
Fennel is an inhabitant of Europe and Asia. It is grown broadly in Northern India as a cold climate crop. It comes up well in a reasonably mild climate. The dry and cold climatic condition favor high seed production. It is being believed that ever since ancient times , fennel  has enjoyed a wealthy history.  

# SELECTION AND STORAGE:
Fennel seeds are available year around in the markets either in the form of seeds or processed ground form. In the store buy whole fennel seeds instead of powder ,  since oftentimes it may contain adulterated spicy powders . Store dry fennel seeds as you so in case of other spices.
Place whole seeds in a clean  air - seal and store in cool , humid free and dark place. 
Ground and powdered fennel should be stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers and should be used sooner , since it looses flavour quickly due to  evaporation of it's essential oils.

# BENEFITS  

1. HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS: 

Both fennel and its seeds are packed with nutrients. Here's the nutrition for  1 cup (87 grms) of raw fennel bulb and 1 tbsp (6 grms) of dried fennel seeds

*FRESH FENNEL BULB : 

• Calories     :  27
• Fiber           : 3 gm
• Vitamin C   : 12% RDI
• Calcium      :  3% RDI
• Iron             :  4% RDI
• Magnesium : 4% RDI
• Potassium    :  8%  RDI

*DRIED FENNEL SEEDS:

• Calories     : 20
• Fiber          : 2 gm
• Vitamin C  : 1% RDI
• Calcium      : 5% RDI
• Iron             : 6% RDI
• Magnesium : 5% RDI
• Potassium    : 2% RDI

 As per  the above table  , both fennel and fennel seeds are low in calories, but provide many important nutrients.  Fresh fennel bulb is good source of vitamin C , water soluble vitamin critical  for immune health, tissue repair and collagen synthesis. Both the bulb and seeds contains the mineral manganese which is important for enzyme activation, metabolism, cellular protection, bone development, blood sugar regulation and wound healing.

2.CAN BENEFIT HEART HEALTH : 
 Eating fennel and it's seeds may benefit heart health in a number of ways as they are packed with fiber - a nutrient shown to reduce certain heart disease  risk factors like high cholesterol . Potassium present in the fennel seeds ; if u add in your diet it may help reduce high blood pressure - a risk  factor for heart disease.

3. MAY HAVE CANCER FIGHTING PROPERTIES:
 The wide array of powerful plant compounds in fennel may help protect against chronic disease, including certain cancers. Eg. anethole - one of the  main   active compounds in fennel seeds has been found to exhibit cancer fighting properties.
Animal studies also suggest that extract from the seeds may protect against breast cancer and liver cancer.

4. MAY BENEFIT MENTAL HEALTH:
Animal studies have found that fennel extract may reduce aging related memory deficits.

#SIDE EFFECTS
Fennel is likely safe when taken by mouth in the amounts commonly found in food. Although rare other side effects might include stomach and intestinal upset. Some people can have allergic skin reactions to fennel . People who are allergic to plants such as celery, carrot, mugwort (vanaspati) are more likely to also be allergic to fennel.

                                                     THANKYOU!

THE INDIAN CUISINE...........

INDIAN CUISINE , is known as one of the best cuisines in the world , because of the flavours added into the food, the spices and most importantly the love that blends in while making the food. The main ingredient which makes our Indian food so rich and tasty are  "SPICES" 

 India is rightly known as the "LAND OF SPICES" . No country produces as many varieties of spices as INDIA.  So in  each and every Indian house  you will find a MASALA DABBA/MASALA DABBI.

    
      MASALA DABBA.....(MASALA DABBI)
It's a popular spice storage container widely used in Indian  kitchen. A typical MASALA DABBA / MASALA DABBI  has a number of small cups or sections , often seven ,placed inside a round or a square box . 
The most popular and daily usage spices like mustard ,chili, garam masala, cumin , fenugreek , pepper, variety of masalas , ajwain which is also called as bishop's weed etc are stored in the box. 

      According to Indian food theory , our food has 6 different  flavours : sweet,bitter, sour , salty , astringent and spicy.  A proper Indian meal is a perfect balance of all 6 flavours with one or two flavours standing out.  

WHY IS INDIAN FOOD SO DELICIOUS?

As mentioned above Indian food is categorically delicious , it"s flavours  are complex, oscillating between sweet,spicy and savory. 

but what is it that makes Indian food so endlessly rich and tasty?

The answer is more complicated than you might think. Researchers  Anupam Jaina , Rakhi N and Ganesh Bagler from the Indian Institute for Technology in Jodhpur  analyzed more than 2,500 recipes to figure out why Indian food is so damn tasty- and it turns out to be very different than the western approach to creating dishes.

While many western cuisines attempt to pair ingredients that share "flavour compounds" only one  type of flavour is been tasted from all the added flavours like sweetness, sourness etc. Indian food's signature is that it combines ingredients to give a blissful taste. 

In the reasearch - A total of 194 unique ingredients were identified in the recipes and subdivided into 15 categories - spices, herbs, meats,etc. But rather unsurprisingly , the spices and their methods of pairing and combination , emerged as the character defining attributes of Indian cuisine.

From Chole bhature of Delhi to Dosa of South, 

From Rosogulla of Bengal to Dhokla of Gujrat,

From Lassi of Punjab to Biriyani of Hyderabad, 

From Vada Pav of Mumbai to Puchka of Kolkata,

From Dal bati churm of Rajasthan to Litti choka of Bihar.

India is all about mouth watering cuisines. No wonder why Indian cuisine always tops the foodies list worldwide. And these are not just food but emotions of people❤️❤️❤️.

THANK YOU!