Asafoetida
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Ferula assafoetida
Fam:
Umbelliferae
Asafoetida gets
its name from the Persian aza, for mastic or resin, and the Latin
foetidus, for stinking. It is a gum that is from the sap of the
roots and stem of the ferula species, a giant fennel that exudes a vile
odour. Early records mention that Alexander the Great carried this
“stink finger” west in 4 BC. It was used as a spice in ancient Rome, and
although not native to India, it has been used in Indian medicine and
cookery for ages. It was believed that asafoetida enhanced singers
voices. In the days of the Mughal aristocracy, the court singers if Agra
and Delhi would eat a spoonful of asafoetida with butter and practice on
the banks of the river Yamuna.
Spice Description
Asafoetida is a hard resinous gum, grayish-white when fresh, darkening
with age to yellow, red and eventually brown. It is sold in blocks or
pieces as a gum and more frequently as a fine yellow powder, sometimes
crystalline or granulated.
Bouquet: a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulfur. The smell
dissipates with cooking.
Flavour: on its own, extremely unpleasant, like concentrated
rotten garlic. When cooked, it adds an onion-like flavour.
Hotness Scale: 0
Preparation and Storage
It is vital to keep asafoetida in airtight containers as its sulfurous
odour will effect other foods and spices. It is most commonly available
as a powder or granules that can be added directly to the cooking pot.
It is also sold in lumps that need to be crushed before using. This is a
very powerful spice and even in its ground state lasts well over a year
if stored properly, away from light and air...
Culinary Uses
Use in minute quantities, adding directly to cooking liquid, frying in
oil, or steeping in water. Asafoetida is used mostly in Indian
vegetarian cooking, in which the strong onion-garlic flavour enhances
many dishes, especially those of Brahmin and Jain castes where onions
and garlic are prohibited. It is used mostly in south and west India,
though it does not grow there. It is used in many lentil dishes (often
to prevent flatulence), vegetarian soups and pickles. It is also suited
to many fish dishes and some pappadums are seasoned with asafoetida.
Attributed Medicinal Properties
Asafoetida is known as an antidote for flatulence and is also prescribed
for respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis and whooping cough.
Its vile smell has led to many unusual medical claims, mostly stemming
from the belief that it’s foetid odour would act as a deterrent to
germs. In several European countries a small piece of the resin would be
tied on a string and hung around childrens necks to protect from
disease. The shock of the sulfurous smell was once thought to calm
hysteria and in the days of the American Wild West it was included in a
mixture with other strong spices as a cure for alcoholism.
Plant Description and Cultivation
Asafoetida is grown chiefly in Iran and Afghanistan from where it is
exported to the rest of the world. In India it is cultivated in Kashmir.
It is a perennial fennel that grows wild to 3.6 metres (12 ft) high, in
large natural forests where little else grows. It bears fine leaves and
yellow flowers. The roots are thick and pulpy and also yield a similar
resin to that of the stems. All parts of the plant have the distinctive
fetid smell. In March and April, just before flowering, the stalks are
cut close to the root. A milky liquid oozes out, which dries to form a
resin. This is collected and a fresh cut is made. This procedure lasts
for about three months from the first incision, by which time the plant
has yielded up to two pounds of resin and the root has dried up.
Other Names
Asafetida, Assafetida, Assafoetida, Devil’s Dung, Devil’s Durt, Food of
the Gods (Persian), Laser (Roman), Stinking Gum
French: assa foetida, ferulr perisque
German: Asafotida, Stinkender Asant
Italian: assafetida
Spanish: asafetida
Afghan: kama-i-anguza
Indian: hing, hingu, heeng
Tamil: perunkaya
Bibliographic References and Further Reading