Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)

 

Fenugreek seeds

Used plant part

The brownish-yellow seeds of rhombic shape (about 3 mm). Indians also like the fresh leaves, which are eaten as a very tasty vegetable and prepared like spinach; sometimes, they are found in Indian yeast bread (then called methi naan).

Plant family

Fabaceae (bean family).

Sensoric quality

Bitter and aromatic. The leaves' fragrance slightly resembles lovage.

Main constituents

Fenugreek contains only minute quantities of an essential oil. In the essential oil, 40 different compounds were found, of which 3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-oxolane-2-one seems to be the most important aroma component; furthermore, n-alkanes, sesquiterpenes, alkanoles and lactones were reported.

Among the non-volatile components, the furostanol glycosides are probably responsible for the bitter taste; among the several more compounds yet identified, sterol- and diosgenin derivatives (of potential interest for the pharmaceutical industry) and trigonellin (N-methyl-pyridinium-3-carboxylate, 0.4%) are most worth noting.

Origin

From the Mediterranean to China.

Etymology

Trigonella is a latinized diminutive of Greek trígonon "triangle" and refers to the small, three-cornered flowers. The Latin species name foenum graecum means "Greek hay"; the dried plant (leaves or seeds) indeed exemanates a strong hay-like scent.

The German name Bockshornklee and Swedish Bockhornsklöver "buck's horn's trefoil" both refer to the shape of the fruit (legume); fenugreek is closely related to trefoil.
 

Fenugreek is an ancient spice, although most people in Western countries seem to dislike its flavour. It is now mostly used in the Middle East and India, especially for pickles. Dry roasting can enhance the flavour and reduce the bitterness, provided care is taken not to overheat the seeds.

Small amounts of fenugreek should be found in good curry powders (see curry leaves). Fenugreek is also popular in the South of India and appears in the ubiquitous Tamil spice mixture sambaar podi (see cumin). Lastly, the bitter-aromatic seeds constitute an essential part of the Bengali "five spice" mixture panch phoron (see nigella).

Fenuggreek (plants with ripening fruits). Note the long pods!

 

Fenugreek is also known in Northern and Eastern Africa; Egyptian papyri mention the plant as one necessary for the mummification process. The Ethiopian spice mixture berebere (see long pepper) contains small amounts of fenugreek.

The wide-spread popularity of this bitter spice may surprise Western cooks; although bitterness arises unpleasant associations in most people, culinary use of bitter taste is a theme found all over the globe. Popular in Europe is orange peel (e.g., for British marmalade), mugwort and its close relative, southernwood; the old Romans loved a bitter celery cultivar and rue. Furthermore, bitter alcoholics (e.g., Angostura) are sometimes suggested to spice up vegetables or even fruit salads. It is worth noting that bitter taste is strongly appetizing and, thus, has indeed true culinary merit.

Several aromatic leaves exhibit significant bitter overtones: Here, bay leaves and myrtle must be named besides several herbs of the mint family (Lamiaceae): hyssop, sage, lavender and rosemary. Nonetheless, bitter herbs are valuable for cooking and do enhance the food's quality; most noteworthy, they stimulate bile secretion and thereby aid digestion, which is especially advantageous for fat meat.

Bitter taste is also typical for spices containing glycosides. As I have explained elsewhere, it's not the glycosides which are responsible for the culinary value of a plant, but their easily formed, yet frequently unstable aglyca. So, the bitter taste of bitter almonds gives way to the well-known "bitter almond fragrance" of benzaldehyd only after some chewing; very similar remarks hold for mahaleb cherry stones. Lastly, if wasabi powder is mixed with water, the paste tastes unpleasant and bitter in the first minutes, but then develops an intensive horseradish-like pungency.

There are also several bitter tropic spices, which generally tend to be not very popular in the West. The tart cassia (Chinese cinnamon), the bitter and pungent negro pepper and the simultaneously bitter, pungent and fragrant cubeb pepper are today considered inferior surrogates of cinnamon and black pepper, respectively, although their importance in Europe was far greater in past centuries. Other bitter tropical plants, though, still play an important rôle for tonic alcoholic drinks (e.g., zedoary).