On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 792

Anise Anise is the seed of a small central
Asian plant,Pimpinella anisum, which has
been prized since ancient time. It’s
remarkableforitshighcontentofthephenolic
compound anethole, which is both
distinctively aromatic and sweet-tasting, and
has been mainly used to flavor sweets and
alcohols (Pernod, pastis, ouzo), though the
Greeks also use it in meat dishes and tomato
sauces.
AsafoetidaAsafoetidaisoneofthestrangest
and strongest of all spices. It comes from a
perennial plant in the carrot family native to
the mountains of Central Asia, from Turkey
through Iran and Afghanistan to Kashmir;
India and Iran are major producers.Ferula
asafoetida, F. alliacea, F. foetida, andF.
narthex look something like giant carrot
plants,growingto5feet/1.5manddeveloping
massive carrot-like roots 6 in/15 cm in
diameter,fromwhichnewsproutsariseevery


spring. The spice is obtained after the new
foliage begins to turn yellow. The top of the
rootisexposed,thefoliagepulledout,andthe
root surface periodically scraped to wound it
and gather the protective sap that collects in
the wound. The sap slowly hardens and
develops a strong, sulfurous aroma
reminiscent of human sweat and washed-rind

cheese(p.58).Sometimestheresinisagedin
freshgoatorsheepskintoaugmentitsaroma,
whichissostrongthattheresiniscommonly
ground and diluted for sale with gum arabic
andflour.Thearomaofasafoetidaisduetoa
complex mixture of sulfur compounds, a
dozen identical with volatiles in the onion
family,andanumberoflesscommondi-,tri-,
and tetrasulfides. Asafoetida can give the
impression of onions, garlic, eggs, meat, and
white truffles, and in India is a prominent
ingredient in the cooking of the Jains, who
avoid animal foods and also onion and garlic
(because they contain a bud that would