Both the herb and vegetable varieties of fennel are of ancient origin. The herb plant is tall, with green stalks and feathery leaves, and the vegetable, known as Florence fennel, is a bulbous root that looks somewhat like celery. The flavour depends on the variety and ranges from bitter to sweet, tasting quite strongly of anise. Wild fennel often grows by the roadside in temperate climates.
Fennel as a vegetable: Use the fennel bulb raw, sliced into a tomato or green salad or on its own dressed with Vinaigrette Dressing. The distinctive flavour lends itself well to a salad accompaniment to fish, pork or lamb. The bulbs can also be used and prepared in the same way as celery. Fennel as a herb: The feathery leaves, so often used in the south of France, give a delicate flavour to fish, fish soups or cream sauces to accompany seafood. In Italy the stalks and leaves are used, chopped with garlic, to make a stuffing for roast pork. Fennel leaves are also delicious cooked with barbecued lamb, and dried fennel stalks give an intriguingly smoky taste to barbecued fish. Use fresh leaves to stuff a whole fish before baking. Fennel seeds: These are aromatic and are used to flavour foods such as pickles, biscuits, pastries and fish.