Fenugreek is a type of spice that grows mainly in India, Southern Europe and Africa. With the development of cooking, fenugreek has been integrated into the environment of various culinary trends and different peoples. Fenugreek is an annual plant, no more than a meter tall. The taste and aroma of fenugreek is characterized as spicy with a bitter aftertaste that slightly resembles the smell of cut hay, in some sources the taste of fenugreek is characterized as nutty or nutmeg.
Today, fenugreek remains a very popular spice in Indian cuisine. This is mainly due to the fact that Indian cuisine recipes are vegetarian, and fenugreek, in turn, provides the body with a significant amount of protein. Another significant use that fenugreek brings to the heart of Indian cooking is as an ingredient in the world-famous curry. Curry is not the only spice blend that uses fenugreek. Another Georgian seasoning, khmeli-suneli, also contains fenugreek.
The use of fenugreek in recipes as a separate spicy ingredient is also not excluded. For example, the Greeks eat boiled fenugreek combined with honey. In US cuisine, fenugreek is an ingredient in various sauces that are used in sandwich recipes. India also envisions the use of fenugreek as an accompaniment to bean dishes. Egypt and Ethiopia use fenugreek as a separate ingredient in the production of bread.
The technology of culinary processing of fenugreek requires increased attention. If fenugreek seeds turn dark brown during the cooking process, then the taste they give to the dish will be very unpleasant. Basically, preliminary roasting of fenugreek is used in the technology of making meat dishes and vegetables. In other industries, fenugreek can be found as a flavoring for tea, coffee or alcoholic beverages. The most common tea with fenugreek in Egypt.
There are two types of fenugreek: fenugreek and blue fenugreek. Differences in cooking are not significant. Blue fenugreek came to European cuisine from the Mediterranean. A distinctive feature is the use of its leaves as a dye, for example, in the technology of making green cheese. Fenugreek has a more Asian areola, and is more used medicinally.
Fenugreek seeds can be bought at a pharmacy and used as a medicine. Fenugreek has many beneficial properties. Fenugreek oil can be used as an aroma lamp. The use of such aroma lamps makes a person more balanced, flexible. In other areas, fenugreek can be used by young mothers to quickly restore the body after childbirth and improve lactation. However, as a medicine, fenugreek has contraindications and is not recommended during pregnancy, as it can provoke a miscarriage.
The use of fenugreek has an extensive culinary level, both on a gustatory and geographic level. Fenugreek has many beneficial properties that affect both the psycho-emotional sphere and physical health.