Flora - Fennel

Flora – wild herbs

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

In most of Slovenia fennel grows only as a cultivated plant, while in Primorska it is also thought to occur naturally. Its medicinal properties are well known, but in Slovene Istria it is also used as a seasoning. In spring the young leaves, which are feathery and strongly aromatic, are added to beans or potatoes, vegetable soups and omelettes. Because of its aroma (deriving from essential oils), some people add it to spirits together with other aromatic plants to make herb brandy. The cultivated form of fennel also includes so-called bulb fennel, which is grown for its white, fleshy “bulbs” (actually swollen leaf bases) and was introduced to Slovenia from Italian cuisine.

Mitja Kaligarič