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Posted on 3:25 PM by Wanto and filed under
By Amy Paul
Fennel was a popular herb among the Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans in ancient times, when it was believed to have miraculous healing powers 'against all fevers'. It reached Europe in the early Middle Ages, where it was introduced by the Romans.
The dried and ground roots are used for flavouring, or better still the extract from these roots, sometimes thickened to syrup-like consistency so it will not spoil and can be stored. Licorice was made famous by the town of Pontefract in East Yorkshire, where it was raised and processed commercially before the town became an industrial centre.
Pontefract cakes and other sweets from licorice are made there to this day, but from imported, not home-grown roots. The liquid extract may also be used in making delicate sweet drinks and to disguise the unpleasant taste of some drugs. In Victorian times it was the custom to eat licorice every Friday as a purgative.
In the Middle Ages fennel had all sorts of uses. The fruits were used to flavour sweets, fish sauces and soups. It was recommended for the treatment of cataracts, worms in the cars, and to promote the flow of milk from the breast. The following recipe is for 'cold brewit': 'take mush made from almonds, dry it on a cloth and when dry put it in a vessel; to this add salt, sugar, the white powder of ginger and juice from fennel.
Licorice is a perennial herb up to 180 cm (5 ft 6 in) high with a long, spindle-shaped root, which is why it does best in deep soil that is not too heavy. Propagation is usually by means of root suckers, shoots or parts of the underground stems because the seeds are very slow to germinate and generally have poor germination.
They are also used to make a very nourishing flour, particularly good for baking and for making nougat-type sweets. Last but not least, some ten million tons a year are processed for use as vegetable oil for cooking, the remaining products being used as a very nutritious protein food for livestock.
The dried and ground roots are used for flavouring, or better still the extract from these roots, sometimes thickened to syrup-like consistency so it will not spoil and can be stored. Licorice was made famous by the town of Pontefract in East Yorkshire, where it was raised and processed commercially before the town became an industrial centre.
Pontefract cakes and other sweets from licorice are made there to this day, but from imported, not home-grown roots. The liquid extract may also be used in making delicate sweet drinks and to disguise the unpleasant taste of some drugs. In Victorian times it was the custom to eat licorice every Friday as a purgative.
In the Middle Ages fennel had all sorts of uses. The fruits were used to flavour sweets, fish sauces and soups. It was recommended for the treatment of cataracts, worms in the cars, and to promote the flow of milk from the breast. The following recipe is for 'cold brewit': 'take mush made from almonds, dry it on a cloth and when dry put it in a vessel; to this add salt, sugar, the white powder of ginger and juice from fennel.
Licorice is a perennial herb up to 180 cm (5 ft 6 in) high with a long, spindle-shaped root, which is why it does best in deep soil that is not too heavy. Propagation is usually by means of root suckers, shoots or parts of the underground stems because the seeds are very slow to germinate and generally have poor germination.
They are also used to make a very nourishing flour, particularly good for baking and for making nougat-type sweets. Last but not least, some ten million tons a year are processed for use as vegetable oil for cooking, the remaining products being used as a very nutritious protein food for livestock.
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