Fenugreek is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop, and its seeds are a common ingredient in dishes from the Indian Subcontinent.
Fenugreek is an ancient spice especially for pickles. Kasturi Methi is the dried leave of the fenugreek plant. The dried leaves are used as an herb. The taste is bitter but addictive. An added bonus is its healthful properties – today we do not use many bitter foods that help us in controlling our appetite and this is a tasteful way of adding the bitter taste to our diet. This herb is used as a spice in Indian curries and its strong aroma is the aroma that will titillate our taste buds.
HISTORY
It is believed fenugreek was brought into cultivation in the Near East. While Zohary and Hopf are uncertain which wild strain of the genus Trigonella gave rise to domesticated fenugreek, charred fenugreek seeds have been recovered from Tell Halal, Iraq, (carbon dated to 4000 BC) and Bronze Age levels of Lachish and desiccated seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamen.[2] Cato the Elder lists fenugreek with clover and vetch as crops grown to feed cattle.
How to Store
It is best kept in an air tight jar and refrigerated. It can stay upto 6 months as there is no moisture content. Keep away from moisture.
