February 23, 2010
My roommate and I subscribe to an organic fruit and vegetable delivery service. The company, called Mama Earth, delivers seasonal, organically grown produce to our home. This week, we had a fennel bulb delivered and my roommate asked me if it was an anus.
Now, let me provide some background… Both her and I worked in family-run grocery stores when we were younger. Both of the stores stocked fennel but labelled it as anise. My roommate always thought that it was pronounced anus.
But back to our organic fennel, I didn’t know how to answer her. So, today’s question is: is there a difference between fennel and anise?
A: There seems to be a common misconception that fennel and anise are the same things. Some cooking websites use the two words interchangeably, as both plants have a subtle liquorice flavour. However, it seems that anise and fennel are actually a different plant. The botanical name of anise is Pimpinella anisum while the botanical name of fennel is Foeniculum vulgare. Both anise and fennel belong to the Apiaceae family.
The whole plant (bulb, stalks, and fronds) of fennel can be consumed, while it is usually just the seeds from the anise plant that are eaten. Star anise or Chinese anise, which is often used as a spice, is not part of the Apiaceae family, which means it is not even related to anise or fennel. Huh.
So, the likelihood is that if you go to the grocery story and you see a plant-like vegetable labelled anise, it’s a good chance that is fennel – and not anus.
Sources:
Jamie Oliver Forum
Yahoo! AnswersSource URL: http://policfashion2011.blogspot.com/2010/02/anus.html
Visit Police Fashion for daily updated images of art collection
My roommate and I subscribe to an organic fruit and vegetable delivery service. The company, called Mama Earth, delivers seasonal, organically grown produce to our home. This week, we had a fennel bulb delivered and my roommate asked me if it was an anus.
Now, let me provide some background… Both her and I worked in family-run grocery stores when we were younger. Both of the stores stocked fennel but labelled it as anise. My roommate always thought that it was pronounced anus.
But back to our organic fennel, I didn’t know how to answer her. So, today’s question is: is there a difference between fennel and anise?
A: There seems to be a common misconception that fennel and anise are the same things. Some cooking websites use the two words interchangeably, as both plants have a subtle liquorice flavour. However, it seems that anise and fennel are actually a different plant. The botanical name of anise is Pimpinella anisum while the botanical name of fennel is Foeniculum vulgare. Both anise and fennel belong to the Apiaceae family.
The whole plant (bulb, stalks, and fronds) of fennel can be consumed, while it is usually just the seeds from the anise plant that are eaten. Star anise or Chinese anise, which is often used as a spice, is not part of the Apiaceae family, which means it is not even related to anise or fennel. Huh.
So, the likelihood is that if you go to the grocery story and you see a plant-like vegetable labelled anise, it’s a good chance that is fennel – and not anus.
Sources:
Jamie Oliver Forum
Yahoo! AnswersSource URL: http://policfashion2011.blogspot.com/2010/02/anus.html
Visit Police Fashion for daily updated images of art collection
