Fennel when fresh, slowly turning a dull grey as the seed ages. For cooking, green seeds are optimal. The leaves are delicately flavored and similar in shape to those of dill. The bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. Young tender leaves are used for garnishes, as a salad, to add flavor to salads, to flavor sauces to be served with puddings, and also in soups and fish sauce. Fennel seeds are sometimes confused with those of anise, which are similar in taste and appearance, though smaller. Fennel is also used as a
Fennel ("Ferula communis") is a large, coarse plant, with a pungent aroma, which grows wild in the Mediterranean region and is only occasionally grown in gardens elsewhere. Other species of the genus "Ferula" are also commonly called giant fennel, but they are not culinary herbs. In North America, fennel may be found growing in the same habitat and alongside natives osha ("Ligusticum porteri") and "Lomatium" species, useful medicinal relatives in the parsley family. Most "Lomatium" species have yellow flowers like fennel, but some are white flowered and resemble poison hemlock. "Lomatium" is an important historical food plant of Native Americans known