Sombu (fennel seeds, Foeniculum vulgare) in a 100 gms pack, a whole spice commonly used as a mouth freshener by people across India. The seeds are green, ridged and elongated. Sombu is used in many Indian dishes, where it enhances the taste and its aroma makes the dish more appetizing. This robustly-flavoured fennel is a versatile spice for curries, artisan bread, Indian, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern cuisine and savoury dishes, and it complements sweet recipes too: cakes, puddings, chutneys, pickles, preserves, curry powders and spice blends. Fennel seeds were used by Egyptians as food and medicine; in ancient China they served as a snake bite remedy, and in Europe they were hung over doorways to drive away evil spirits. Higher classification: Fennels; rank: Species. Catalogue code: SIR10007