Fenugreek #
Illustration of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen (1887)
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is a culinary spice and herb from the Fabaceae family,1 originating in the region(s) of S Eur; W As.2 It is used for its seed and leaf, primarily for curries, breads; diabetes. Its aroma is described as like burnt sugar, bitter, with a heat index of 2.3
| English | Arabic | Chinese | Hungarian |
|---|---|---|---|
| fenugreek | حلبة | 胡蘆巴 | görögszéna |
Overview #
| id | fenugreek |
|---|---|
| species name | Trigonella foenum-graecum L. |
| family | Fabaceae |
| part used | seed; leaf |
| macroarea | Asia |
| region of origin | S Eur; W As |
| cultivation | India |
| color | yellow seeds |
| botanical database | POWO |
Etymologies #
English fenugreek, in old English from Latin, in Middle English and later from French < French fenugrec < Latin faenugraecum [Greek-hay ], named faenum Graecum ‘Greek hay’ by the Romans
Arabic حلبة ḥulba ‘fenugreek’, Semitic; cf. cognates Classical Syriac ; Hebrew ḥilbā
Mandarin Chinese 胡蘆巴 húlúbā ‘fenugreek’ < Persian حلبة ḥulba ‘fenugreek’ < Arabic حلبة ḥulba ‘fenugreek’, Semitic; cf. cognates Classical Syriac ; Hebrew ḥilbā
Names #
English #
| term | source |
|---|---|
| fenugreek | OED |
| fenugreek-seed | OED |
Arabic #
| script | term | literal | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| حلبة | ḥulba | Lane, 1863 |
Chinese #
| script | term | literal | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 胡蘆巴 | húlúbā | barbarian-reeds-ba | Kleeman, 2010 |
POWO. (2022). Plants of the World Online (Botanical Database). Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ ↩︎
van Wyk, B.-E. (2014). Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World. University of Chicago Press, joint publication with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226091839.001.0001 ↩︎
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 ↩︎