Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare · Vegetable
1 varietyTop 10 pairings
An aromatic Mediterranean vegetable, edible from its pale, layered bulb to its feathery fronds and sweet seeds. Raw, the bulb is crunchy and tastes of licorice; roasting or braising mellows the anise and turns it nutty.
Picking a good onedrag
Squeaky-hard, just cutLimp, browning, splitting
Shop firmEveryday bestThe all-rounder: raw, roast, braise, stock.
Stalks and frondsFronds wilting, stalks still firm
Squeeze the bulbFirm, outer layer gives a little
Base and outer layerMatte, cut face beige, light scuffs
Smell at the cutFaint anise, mostly grassy
What you get from one
72%
Edible part
234 g · stalks, fronds and core off
325 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 3× longer than the counter.
90-95%
Humidity
Still air, not sealed
Airflow