Belonging to the Apiaceae family, the fennel plant is mostly found in the Mediterranean. The fruit of the plant is called the fennel seed. For centuries, fennel was prized in Roman, Greek, and Egyptian cultures for spiritual reasons - it was even thought to bring Roman warriors courage.

Now it brings a subtle, fragrant sweetness to Ayurvedic and Mediterranean dishes, dry rubs for meat and fish, sauces, and baked goods like bread and cookies.

Fennel Seeds can be sprinkled on chicken along with orange juice and olives for a delicious main dish. Other main dishes that use the flavor of Fennel include pasta. For a quick dinner, add olive oil, green onion and garlic to diced tomatoes and season with fennel, then pour the sauce over small shell pasta and toss with parmesan cheese. Or try Fennel with artichoke hearts, lemon juice and your favorite diced leftover meat served over pasta for another variation of a pasta dinner.

You can make a vegetable-based soup that features butternut squash that has been roasted and then pureed, and add Fennel to heighten the flavor of the dish. Salads are excellent with Fennel and fresh orange slices as ingredients.

Barbecued foods benefit from a sprinkling of Fennel Seed herb. You can include Fennel in a spice rub that can be used on chicken or poultry. Sausage often contains Fennel as a seasoning, and you can add it to loose ground sausage to create wonderful sausage burgers that can be served with all the trimmings.