Fennel Seeds

Fennel seeds have a warm aroma and sweet, anise-like flavour, often used in Italian cooking. Fennel seeds can be ground but they can also be roasted or eaten whole. When roasted they reveal a delicate, almost hidden sweetness. Fennel pairs beautifully with the robust flavours found in cured meats and rich, oily fish like mackerel, sardines, herring and salmon. Roman soldiers are said to have consumed fennel to empower them on the battlefield.