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Organic Fenugreek Powder
Fenugreek is one of those spices that confuses people. It has a strong scent, bright coloring and some of the seeds are so strong they could break a tooth. Luckily when ground, fenugreek is harmless to the teeth and is in fact quite delicious. Its scientific name is Trigonella foenum-graecum and it comes from the bean family.Fenugreek seed has less than 0.02% essential oil, and it gets its strong scent from a compound called 3 hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-oxolane-2-furanone.
Fenugreek seeds are sometimes referred to as goat's horn or cow's horn because of their horn shape. Fenugreek has even been called "Greek hay" before. In Arabic fenugreek is "hulba," in Mandarin it is "hu lu ba," in French it is "fenugreek," German speakers call it "bockshornklee," in Hindi it is "methi," in Japanese it is "koruha," in Portuguese it's "feno grego," in Russian you'll hear "pazhitnik grecheskiy," and in Spanish it's "alhova" or "fenogreco."
History of Fenugreek
Fenugreek was one of the spices the Egyptians used in embalming and evidence of this spice goes back to 1000 BC. They also used it for inducing childbirth and to help heal burns. Ground Fenugreek seed was used to create a paste that would be applied to the lips to help with chapping or mouth ulcers. The paste could be applied to the forehead for a fever reducer.In India and all through the Middle East, Fenugreek was used as a medicine and food flavoring. In Europe, it was mainly used for medicine. Westerners are not usually fond of the bitterness of the fenugreek in their food.
Fenugreek is used as a hair growth agent in Indonesia. Some cultures even use it to help control and regulate blood pressure and cholesterol.
It was grown in Charlemagne's gardens alongside things like parsley and sage. Charlemagne was very particular about what could be grown in lands that were borrowed from him, so to be one of his few permitted crops was a big deal at the time.
In Ethiopia, mothers have historically and still continue to take fenugreek to promote the production of milk and to help with difficult childbirths.
Fenugreek has always been popular in Indian cooking, with many people associating the scent of fenugreek with curry.
Throughout time, fenugreek has been used to help with a variety of gynecological problems, including menstrual irregularities. It gained popularity in America and was a primary ingredient in "Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound", a 19th century tonic made to help with female issues. The medical community thought her concoction wasn't reliable or helpful in any way, but sales remained steady, maybe because another ingredient was drinking alcohol, which does affect mood and relax muscles.
Fenugreek Cultivation
Fenugreek is not a particularly picky plant. It likes direct sunlight but can grow in filtered or shaded sunlight as well. It prefers well-drained, loamy soil that is slightly acidic. If overwatered, the fenugreek will die. It is good to keep the soil moist and warm, but not overly wet because the plants may grow mildew.The seeds don't have to be particularly deep in the soil to grow, usually just a few inches, and they don't need a lot of space between them either. They do not require a lot of attention, so this is a relatively easy plant to grow. The only real downside to fenugreek is that it does not like to be transplanted, so plants must begin growing in the place they will mature in, otherwise they are likely to die if they are moved.
It only take about a month for the fenugreek plant to be ready for harvest, but when harvesting seeds, the pods of the plant must turn yellow before the seeds are ready. When the plant is ripening, white or yellow flowers will develop into the narrow seed pods that start as a light brown color. Yellow pods indicate that the fenugreek is fully ripened and the seeds are ready to be removed.
Every part of the fenugreek plant can be used. The seed is a spice, the shoots are a vegetable, and the leaves are an herb.
Cooking with Fenugreek
In America, fenugreek is used in baking, with meat seasonings and in soups, but not much else. This is a shame because it has so many interesting applications.The seeds are often paired with fish and lentils, so they are found often in curries and chutneys. In India, fenugreek is used by many vegetarians as a meat alternative because it is high in protein. It is also high in various vitamins and minerals.
In Egypt and Ethiopia you may also find ground fenugreek as a bread flavoring. It is an important ingredient in the Ethiopian spice blend berbere.
Chemen is a spice blend comprised of fenugreek, garlic, and chiles that is used by Armenians to season and spice up the famous dish bastirma, which is essentially a cured beef.
There is a dip called hilbeh that is spread on crackers and bread in Yemen that is made from fenugreek seeds. This dip is sometimes served with a vegetable platter on special occasions. A similar spread is made in the Middle East, where it is spread across salted meat and then left to dry.
You can use fenugreek in any of these ways. You can also use it in pickle making, or with sauces. Some people even add a little bit of ground fenugreek to their black tea.
Fenugreek tastes excellent with fish curries, vegetables, lamb, potatoes, and rice. It goes well with spices like cardamom, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, garlic, pepper, nigella, and turmeric.
Whole vs Ground
Fenugreek is one of the only spices that must be ground entirely for its flavor to be fully released. The whole seeds are sometimes so hard that they can break teeth.Ground fenugreek has an intense scent and it is most familiar to those that know how curries smell.
What Does Fenugreek Taste Like?
Organic Ground Fenugreek is nutty and bittersweet. This is a spice where the level of scent doesn't match the level of flavor. The scent has been described as pungent, spicy, and with a hint of butterscotch.Substitutions and Conversions
The best substitution for ground fenugreek is ground mustard seeds. Depending on the dish, you can use mustard seeds to give a flavor kick that is similar.Roughly two teaspoons of fenugreek seeds will give you about one teaspoon of ground fenugreek.
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