Venthayam, also known as methi or fenugreek seeds, comes in a 200 gms pack: the strong-flavoured seeds of the fenugreek plant (genus Trigonella, family Fabaceae), used to create many Indian dishes. The seeds are small, angular and golden-yellow, and they are rich in copper, dietary fibre and iron. Fenugreek is an annual plant cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop, with leaves made up of three small oblong leaflets. In India both its seeds and leaves go into flavourful dishes, and they are popular in traditional medicine. Fenugreek was first brought into cultivation in the Near East. Charred seeds from around 4000 BC have been recovered from Iraq and from Bronze Age levels of Lachish, and desiccated seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Catalogue code: SIR10003