Fenugreek

Fenugreek is an annual legume that grows 30 to 60 cm tall, with clover-like trifoliate leaves and pale yellow-white flowers. The slender, curved pods, 10 to 15 cm long, hold about ten to twenty seeds each. The seeds are angular, flattened, rhomboid pieces roughly 3 to 5 mm long with a deep groove dividing them, and they are very hard and glossy tan to amber in color. Raw seeds taste distinctly bitter, but a brief dry toasting softens the bitterness and brings out a sweet, nutty, caramel-like and celery-like aroma, thanks largely to a compound called sotolon. Fenugreek is sold as whole seeds, powder, sprouts, extract capsules and as fresh or dried leaves.

Fenugreek is thought to come from the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia, with the Near East and parts of southern Europe often given as its original home. Archaeological finds of charred seeds from Iraq and from Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt show that it was used in ancient times. The plant was domesticated as a forage and medicinal crop. The English name comes from Old French fenugrec and Latin faenum graecum, meaning Greek hay, because dried fenugreek was used as fodder. The Hindi name methi comes from Sanskrit roots, and the species name foenum-graecum repeats the Latin phrase.

Fenugreek is one of the oldest cultivated medicinal and food plants. Charred seeds were recovered from Bronze Age sites in the Near East, and ancient Egyptians used it in embalming and incense. Roman and Greek farmers grew it as fodder for livestock, and Roman authors noted its use as a medicine. Benedictine monks helped spread the crop across medieval Europe, where it was also a livestock feed.

In India, fenugreek became a deeply rooted ingredient of regional cooking. It appears in tempering mixtures, pickles, sambar powders, panch phoron and curry blends, and fenugreek leaves are cooked as a vegetable. In Ethiopia the seed, called abish, is added to berbere spice and the bread injera, and a drink made from it is common. In Egypt, fenugreek tea and hilba are popular, and in Yemen a whipped, frothy relish called hulbah is a national favorite. Persian cooks use the leaves in the herb stew ghormeh sabzi.

India is today the largest producer, and the crop is also grown in Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia and parts of Canada. The seed has long been a trade item between South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, valued both as flavoring and as a traditional remedy.

Whole or ground fenugreek seed is dry-roasted lightly and added to curries, lentil dishes, pickles, chutneys, spice blends such as panch phoron and sambar powder, and Ethiopian berbere. Too much, or over-browning, makes a dish bitter. Seeds can be soaked overnight to soften them or sprouted for salads. The leaves, fresh and dried, season breads and sauces. Fenugreek is also made into tea and into breakfast porridge in some regions. Traditionally it has been taken for digestion, blood sugar support and to increase breast milk, and it is used as a flavoring in imitation maple syrup and tobacco products.

Fenugreek seeds are high in fiber, especially galactomannan gum, plus protein and iron. Some small trials suggest the seed or extract may modestly lower blood glucose and cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes, and some studies suggest it may increase milk supply in breastfeeding mothers, though trial quality varies and results are not consistent. Because the evidence is limited, fenugreek should not replace medical care. Culinary amounts are generally well tolerated, while supplement doses are much larger and have been studied less thoroughly.