Asafoetida
(Ferula asafoetida, family Apiaceae) is a
resin gum which comes from the dried sap
from the stem and roots of the wild fennel
genus Ferula. The resin is grayish-white
when fresh, but dries to a dark amber color.
Chunks of asafoetida resin are too hard to
be grated easily, and traditionally crushed
between stones or with a hammer. Today, the
most commonly available form is compounded
asafoetida, a fine powder containing 30%
asafoetida resin, along with rice flour and
gum Arabic.
It derives its English and scientific name
from the Persian word for resin (asa) and
Latin foetida, which refers to its strong
sulfurous odor. Its pungent odor has
resulted in its being called by many
unpleasant names; thus the French know it,
amongst other names, as Merde du Diable
(Devil's faeces); in some dialects of
English too it was known as Devil's Dung,
and equivalent names can be found in German
- Teufelsdreck, Danish - Dyvelsdręk, Dutch -
Duivelsdrek, Icelandic - Djöflataš,
Norwegian - Dyvelsdrekk, Swedish
Dyvelsträck, Finnish Pirunpaska. In Turkish,
it is known as Şeytantersi, Şeytan bökösu or
Şeytanotu (the Devil's Herb).
In many of the northern Indian languages
(Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi,
Bengali) it is known as hing. In Tamil, it
is known as perungaayam. This spice is used
as a digestive aid, in food as a condiment
and in pickles. Its odor is so strong that
it must be stored in airtight containers;
otherwise the aroma, which is nauseating in
quantities, will infect everything. However,
Its smell becomes much milder in cooking and
presents an onion-like taste. In India, it
is used especially by the Brahmin caste of
the Hindus and by adherents of Jainism, who
are not allowed to eat onions. It is mainly
grown in Iran, Afghanistan and Kashmir.
It has certain medicinal uses: it aids the
digestion, and is helpful in cases of asthma
and bronchitis. In the Appalachian region of
the United States, it was used as a folk
remedy for children's colds: it is mixed
into a foul-smelling paste and hung in a bag
around the afflicted child's neck. |
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