If ever there was a vegetable dogged by misunderstanding, fresh fennel is it.
Because while it may taste like anise and look like a bulb, it is neither. While fennel is a relative of anise, they are separate plants. And while the base of fennel is bulbous, that’s a shape, not its plant variety. Fresh fennel resembles a cross between cabbage, celery and dill. The taste is assertively (though not unpleasantly) licorice and sweet. The base of the fennel is round with tightly overlapping pale green leaves. Sprouting out of that are long celery-like stalks topped with fine frilly leaves.
Technically speaking, all parts of the plant are edible, but most people will find the stalks too tough and fibrous to eat. The leaves can be chopped and used to flavor salads, dressings, marinades and sauces. They tend to have a slightly more citrusy flavor than the base.
The base (or bulb) is delicious raw or cooked. The thick bottom and outer leaves usually are trimmed off, then the rest can be sliced or chopped.
Fennel is particularly popular in the cuisines of the Mediterranean, particularly Italy, where it has been grown since the 17th century.




















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