Fennel is the herb whose aromatic seeds are commonly chewed after meals to aid digestion and freshen the breath.
The “seeds” are botanically dried fruits of Foeniculum vulgare, a tall flowering plant in the carrot family. They have a sweet, anise-like flavor and contain aromatic compounds led by anethole, which gives fennel much of its characteristic scent and taste.
In India, fennel is widely served as saunf, either raw, roasted, or sugar-coated, as part of the after-meal snack known as mukhwas. Similar traditions occur across South Asia and parts of West Asia. Fennel is also brewed as a tea and used in breads, sausages, pickles, and desserts.
A common mix-up is anise, whose fruits taste similar but come from a different plant, Pimpinella anisum. Cumin and caraway are also members of the carrot family, but their flavors and customary after-meal uses differ. Fennel’s bulb and feathery leaves are edible too, so the plant is both a culinary vegetable and a traditional digestive herb.