Asafoetida
The dried resin of Ferula foetida and F. assa-foetida, also known as asafoetida; hing, devil’s dung, asant; fetida.
English: asafoetida · Hungarian: ördöggyökér · Arabic: حلتیت · Hindi: हींग · Chinese: 阿魏
Overview
| item | asafoetida |
|---|---|
| taxon | Ferula foetida (Bunge) Regel |
| family | Apiaceae |
| regions | Middle Asia, Western Asia, Indian Subcontinent |
| continents | Asia-Temperate, Asia-Tropical |
| part | gum-resin (latex) |
| cultivation | Iran; Afghanistan |
| botanical_database | POWO |
ASAFOETIDA is a culinary, and medicinal spice, cultivated for its gum-resin (latex). It is yielded from the plant Ferula foetida (Bunge) Regel, a perennial in the Apiaceae family, growing in temperate biome, with a native range of Iran to C. Asia and W. Pakistan.1
It is used primarily in curries; expectorant. Its aroma is described as pungent, rotten, with a heat index of 1.2
See more in ( Citation: POWO, 2024 POWO (2024). Plants of the world online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ ; Citation: Petruzzello, 2021 Petruzzello, M. (2021). List of herbs and spices. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-herbs-and-spices-2024392 ; Citation: Wyk, 2014 Wyk, B. (2014). Culinary herbs and spices of the world. University of Chicago Press, joint publication with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ; Citation: Dalby, 2000 Dalby, A. (2000). Dangerous tastes: the story of spices. University of California Press. ; Citation: Hill, 2004 Hill, T. (2004). The contemporary encyclopedia of herbs and spices: Seasonings for the global kitchen. J. Wiley. ; Citation: Anderson, 2023 Anderson, I. (2023). The history and natural history of spices: the 5000-year search for flavour. The History Press. )
Illustration of Ferula foetida from Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen ( Citation: 1887 Köhler, H. (1887). Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erläuterndem Texte: Atlas zur Pharmacopoea germanica, austriaca, belgica, danica, helvetica, hungarica, rossica, suecica, Neerlandica, British pharmacopoeia, zum Codex medicamentarius, sowie zur Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America. Franz Eugen Köhler. Retrieved from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/623 ) II 147.
Distribution
Native and introduced habitats of Ferula foetida3
Native areas: Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Turkmenistan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan
Introduced areas:
Bibliography
- Anderson (2023)
- Anderson, I. (2023). The history and natural history of spices: the 5000-year search for flavour. The History Press.
- Dalby (2000)
- Dalby, A. (2000). Dangerous tastes: the story of spices. University of California Press.
- Hill (2004)
- Hill, T. (2004). The contemporary encyclopedia of herbs and spices: Seasonings for the global kitchen. J. Wiley.
- Köhler (1887)
- Köhler, H. (1887). Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erläuterndem Texte: Atlas zur Pharmacopoea germanica, austriaca, belgica, danica, helvetica, hungarica, rossica, suecica, Neerlandica, British pharmacopoeia, zum Codex medicamentarius, sowie zur Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America. Franz Eugen Köhler. Retrieved from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/623
- Petruzzello (2021)
- Petruzzello, M. (2021). List of herbs and spices. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-herbs-and-spices-2024392
- POWO (2024)
- POWO (2024). Plants of the world online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/
- Wyk (2014)
- Wyk, B. (2014). Culinary herbs and spices of the world. University of Chicago Press, joint publication with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Medicinal Spices Exhibit. (2002). UCLA Biomedical Library: History & Special Collections. https://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm?spicefilename=taste.txt&itemsuppress=yes&displayswitch=0 ↩︎