An amber coloured
resin extracted from the
root or stem of a
perennial plant,
Hing plays many roles in
many cultures.
Scientifically called
Ferula Assafoetida, Hing
has been used as widely
as in ancient Persia,
Greece, Africa and
India. From being used
in black magic or
warding away the evil
eye to soothing stomach
ailments, this spice has
significant contribution
to cultures around the
world. But in
cuisines, its pungent
and strong aroma is put
to good use as a
replacement for onion
and garlic. It gives off
a smooth and robust
flavour when released in
hot oil. Today it is
more commonly available
in compounded forms.
Asafoetida is an
extremely pungent
aromatic spice obtained
from the rhizomes of
spices 'ferula' or giant
fennel. In fact, it is
is a hard aromatic
resinous gum collected
from certain species of
giant fennels, plants of
the genus ferula. It is
available in blocks or
pieces as a gum and more
frequently as a fine
powder, sometimes
crystalline or
granulated. Asafoetida
is commonly used as a
flavoring or spice in
Persian and Indian
cooking or as a
condiment to be
sprinkled over food
after it has been
cooked.
It is called devil’s
dung because of its
strong pungent smell due
to the presence of
sulfur compounds. The
word asafoetida is
believed to have gotten
its name from the
Persian word aza
(mastic resin) and a
Latin word foetida
meaning stinking.
Besides being used as a
spice, asafetida also
possess many medicinal
properties. For
centuries, it has been
widely used for simple
digestive problems such
as gas, bloating,
indigestion and
constipation. It was
believed that asafetida
enhanced singers voices.
Although very reasonably
priced today, in ancient
times it was a precious
and expensive condiment.
Botanical Description &
Origin
Asafoetida is an
herbaceous perennial
plant growing to 2 m
tall, with stout,
hollow, somewhat
succulent stems 5-8 cm
diameter at the base of
the plant. It has finely
toothed leaves, clusters
many white or yellow
flowers in large
compound umbels and a
hollow stem growing from
a fleshy taproot. It is
the root that produces
the spice.
A native to Iran,
Asafoetida is
commercially cultivated
in Iran, Afghanistan and
parts of India and
Pakistan. In India, it
is grown in Kashmir and
in some parts of Punjab.
The two main varieties
of asafoetida are Hing
Kabuli Sufaid (Milky
White Asafoetida) and
Hing Lal (Red Asafoetida).
Even though most of the
world’s production of asafoetida comes from
the Middle Eastern
regions of Iran and
Afghanistan, India is
the major consumer of
this spice.
Spice Description
The smell of asafoetida
is extremely unpleasant,
like concentrated rotten
garlic, but in cooked
dishes, it delivers a
smooth flavor,
reminiscent of leeks.
Its bitter taste and
strong disagreeable
pungent odour is due to
the presence of sulphur
compounds therein. It is
available in three forms
ie. ‘Tears’, ‘Mass’ and
‘Paste’. ‘Tears’, is the
purest form of resin,
rounded or flattened, 5
to 30 mm in diameter and
a greyish or dull yellow
in colour.
Asafoetida is a hard
resinous gum,
grayish-white when
fresh, darkening with
age to yellow, red and
eventually brown. It is
sold either as lumps or
in powdered form. The
former is the most
common form of pure
asafoetida.
Powdered Asafoetida has
a strong, unpleasant
smell, reminiscent of
pickled Garlic, which is
caused by Sulphur
compounds in volatile
oil.
Culinary Uses of
Asafoetida
For centuries, it has
been widely used as a
tenderizer and
preservative for meat.
Asafoetida was a popular
spice in Europe since
the Roman times and a
much-preferred spice of
the Middle Ages. In
Indian cuisine, it is
used mostly in
vegetarian cooking, in
which the strong
onion-garlic flavour
enhances many dishes. It
is pretty common among
Brahmins and Jains where
onions and garlic are
prohibited.
Iranian cuisine uses it
for flavoring meatballs
and in Afghanistan it is
used in the preparation
of dried meat.
Asafoetida is also
suited to many fish
dishes and some
pappadums are seasoned
with asafoetida. It is
also used as a
flavouring agent in
pickles and sauces. This
is a very powerful spice
and even in its ground
state lasts well over a
year if stored properly.
Attributed Medicinal
Properties
Today, asafoetida is
widely used as a spice,
it also contains
innumerable medicinal
properties. It was
widely recommended as a
herbal medicine for
simple digestive
problems such as gas,
bloating, indigestion
and constipation in the
traditional medicinal
systems of the Middle
East and India. It is
also helpful in
respiratory problems
such as bronchitis,
asthma and whooping
cough. Like garlic, asafoetida's volatile
oil contains components
such as disulphides that
leave the body via the
respiratory system and
aid in the coughing up
of congested mucus.
It
also thins the blood and
lowers blood pressure.
Hing
is perfect for a subtler
flavour in vegetable
dishes.
Other Uses of Asafoetida
* Because of its
extremely pungent and
bitter smell, it can be
used as a natural
pesticide
* In magic and
mythology, asafoetida is
used to gain insight and
to banish all negative
energy, evil spirits and
demons
* It is used to invoke
male gods, especially
those of a phallic
nature.
Other names of
Asafoetida
* Persian :
Angustha-Gandha
* French : Ferule
Asafoetida
* Arabic : Tyib,
Haltheeth
* Sindhi :
Vaghakkyani,Vagharni
* German : Asafotida,
Stinkender Asant
* Italian : Assafetida
* Spanish : Asafetida
* Afghan : Kama-I-Anguza
* Indian : Hing, Hingu,
Heeng
* Tamil : Perunkaya.
Botanical name:
Ferula Asafoetida
Family name:
Umbelliferae
Commercial part:
Resin extracted from
rhizome and thickened
root
Hing
is perfect for a subtler
flavour in vegetable
dishes.
©
2008, www.tajagroproducts.com All rights reserved.