This just in from one of my favorite sites, Care 2 (www.care2.com): Sweet aromatic fennel doesn't just give food delicious taste, it's loaded with health benefits and natural medicinal uses.

If you're an East Indian cuisine fan, then you may have noticed the dish of colorful seeds available for folks to dip into on their way out of the restaurant. These tiny seeds are fennel. And millions of East Indians chew on fennel after meals in the same way other cultures use mints. These seeds are known for aiding digestion, hence why folks grab a few after their dinner.

Let's look at fennel uses, starting with digestion:

· Fennel stimulates and calms digestion

· Fennel helps with nausea

· Fennel helps with stomach pain and bloating

Helps reduce cancer: An extract found in Top of Form

fennel seed, methanolic extract (FSME), was found to be useful as an anticancer agent for breast and liver cancers.

Menstrual discomfort is reduced when drinking fennel seed tea.

Menopause symptoms reduced: Extracts of fennel have estrogen properties that help balance the female reproductive system. The hormonal imbalance caused by menopause has been shown in to be reduced when fennel seed extract is taken.

Decreases colic in babies: Fennel seed essential oil decreased intensity of colic in babies. Scientists note that the effective prescription medication for colic, Dicyclomine Hydrochloride, has serious side effects (including death in 5 percent of infants treated). Fennel is far safer as it doesn't have these side effects.

On top of these health specific health applications, fennel seed is full of nutrients:

· Fennel contains many vitamins and even a small amount of protein.

· Fennel seed provides a concentrated source of minerals (copper, iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, selenium, zinc and magnesium).

But, here's a safety note: It's best for pregnant women not to use fennel in medicinal remedies or while nursing. Small amounts as food flavoring are thought to be safe, however. Also, for some sensitive people it may cause contact dermatitis.

Health benefits of fennel aside, you will want to make sure you have some in your kitchen cupboard to make your meals extra yummy. Fennel seed has a strong anise-flavored taste, and it works well in both sweet and savory recipes. It also helps give balance to spice blends. Fennel seed has popular application in many cuisines around the world.

Fennel is a popular spice in Mediterranean food , especially in Italy. Italian sausages, meatballs, pork, and beef are flavored with fennel. It's adds a nice sparkle when sprinkled atop pizza, also.

The French use it in their pastas, sauces, and fish dishes. The English use fennel seeds in their soups; the Germans use them in their breads and sauerkraut; and the Spanish use fennel seeds in their cakes and baked goods.

And in Asia, fennel seeds are used in sweet and sour dishes, fish sauces, and in many Chinese five-spice blends. In India, fennel seed is an important ingredient in their curry powders. They also use it in their soups, lentil and rice dishes, and pickles.

Here are a few ways I use fennel seed:

· I add it to salads, particularly cucumber salad.

· We love it mixed into cream cheese. It's delicious on rye and sour dough breads.

· I mix it into my baking powder biscuit dough.

· I add it to couscous, lentil, bean, and bulgur wheat dishes.

· It's fantastic mixed into potato salad.

· It adds a good pizzazz to homemade salad dressings (especially Italian).

And I'll close with one of our favorite recipes-braided fennel seed twists. Known as Taralli, they're the famous hard country biscuits from Italy. They look like bagels and can be made large or small. They appear at every meal and are addictive! They're flavored with fennel seeds, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. You might want to try using all these flavorings in the dough or just one, depending on your taste. But if you opt for just one, be sure it's the fennel seed. When this dough (Taralli) is braided, they're called Treccine (little braids).

BRAIDED FENNEL SEED TWISTS (makes 18 twists)

1 cup warm water (110-115°F)

2 teaspoons active dried yeast

2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Pour the water into a food processor fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast and pulse to dissolve it. Pour olive oil into feed tube while pulsing.

In a large measuring cup mix the flour with the salt and pour through the feed tube with the motor running. Stop machine.

Grind fennel seed in a spice or coffee grinder until coarse. Add them through the feed tube along with the black pepper. Pulse machine to blend ingredients. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

When the dough forms a ball, stop the machine and transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm spot until doubled, approximately 45 minutes.

Punch down the dough and transfer it to a work surface. Only use flour on the surface if the dough is sticky, but it should be fine without it.

Roll dough out into a 36-inch log. Cut 36 1-inch pieces. Roll two pieces into an 8-inch rope, then twist the pieces together to form a braid. Pinch the ends together to form a circle.

Allow the braids to rise on lightly greased baking sheets for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the braids approximately 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned. Turn off the oven and allow them to thoroughly dry out in the oven. They should be the texture of a hard cracker. Allow to cool. Serve with cheese and olives.

You can freeze these by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and then placing all in a large plastic zippered bag. These will keep this way for about 3 months.

Add Recipe to Cook'n