Known as methi dana in India, the seeds are used whole or ground and have a distinct aroma and a bitter taste. Whole seeds are used for seasoning vegetables while powder is an essential ingredient of pickles. For best results, lightly roast the seeds until they barely change color before grinding or using them. On overroasting, they develop bitter flavor and aroma.

Fenugreek is used both as a herb (the leaves) and as a spice (the seed). It is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop. It is frequently used in curry.

The cuboid yellow to amber coloured fenugreek seed, commonly called maithray, is frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders, and pastes, and is often encountered in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The seeds are used in seasoning many dishes or in powdered form to mix with rice, since health benefits of thus added seeds (or leaves) to diet in moderate quantities are considerable. The young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek are eaten as greens, and the fresh or dried leaves are used to flavour other dishes. The dried leaves (called kasturi methi) have a bitter taste and a strong characteristic smell.

Fenugreek green is a very popular curry cooked in the major sub-continental region of India and Pakistan, usually together with potatoes and/or spinach, and eaten with Roti or Naan (tortiya) and/or rice. It is usually eaten boiled in China, and central and Western Asia.

In India, fenugreek seeds are mixed with yogurt and used as a conditioner for hair. It is one of the three ingredients of idli and dosa. It is also one of the ingredients in the making of khakhra, a type of bread. It is used in injera/taita, a type of bread unique to Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine. The word for fenugreek in Amharic is abesh, and the seed is reportedly also often used in Ethiopia as a natural herbal medicine in the treatment of diabetes. It is also sometimes used as an ingredient in the production of clarified butter (Amharic: qib

 The name "fenugreek" or foenum-graecum is from Latin for "Greek hay". The Marathi name is Methi  or Methya The Kannada name is "menthya"  The Tamil name for it is "Vendayam" . The Telugu name for it is "Menthulu"  The Malayalam name is "Uluva" .In Sinhala it is called Uluhaal (In Oriya,Bangla, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi it is called Methi  In Persian it is Shanbal

Bookmark with:

Deli.cio.us    Digg    reddit    Facebook    StumbleUpon    Newsvine