Appearance difference

Foeniculum vulgare is much larger than cumin, and its shape is slightly curved. Fennel is green in color, while cumin is darker and yellowish in color.

Flavor difference

Fennel: It smells fragrant and tastes slightly sweet.

Cumin: It tastes slightly pungent and is one of the main spices of curry.

Origin difference

Foeniculum vulgare L.: Originated in Europe, mainly produced in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning and other places in China, and planted all over the country.

Cumin: Cumin is native to the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. Cumin is only produced in Xinjiang and sweet potato Hexi corridor in China.

Composition difference

Fennel contains active ingredients such as anethole, anisaldehyde and anisone. It has many effects such as improving appetite and helping digestion.

The effective components in the volatile oil of cumin are petroselic acid.

Usage difference

Foeniculum vulgare: It is mostly used for stewing mutton and making mutton soup.

Cumin: Cumin will give off a strange smell when it is soaked in blazing high temperature or boiling oil, so it is often used in sauteed mutton with onion or barbecue.

"Cumin" comes from Uygur language, also called "Arabic fennel", which is only produced in Xinjiang and Hexi Corridor of Gansu Province in China. Cumin is often used to barbecue beef and mutton because of its strong effect of removing fishy smell and removing the greasy meat. In addition, when cumin is exposed to oil or heated at high temperature, its fragrance will become stronger and stronger. Therefore, in addition to barbecue, it is more suitable for cooking methods such as frying, frying and frying. In India, cumin is also a main raw material for preparing curry powder.

Fennel is divided into two kinds. Anise, the star anise we use as seasoning, is mainly cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan Province and other places. The other is fennel, which is a kind of vegetable with fruit as spice and stems and leaves as edible organs. Its taste is spicy, sweet and warm, and it has the functions of invigorating stomach, dispelling cold and relieving pain. Foeniculum can be fried, cold, steamed stuffed bun and jiaozi, and it has its own fragrance.