Fenugreek Seed is from the Fenugreek plant, which is grown around the world. Both the seeds and leaves are used for cooking and medicinal uses. There are records of Fenugreek as far back as about 4000 BC. It was also found in the Egyptian tomb of Tutankhamen. There are also early Roman records of Fenugreek being used to flavor wine.
The largest producer of Fenugreek seed is India, where it is the most widely used spice. Other major producers are Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Spain, to name just a few.
Fenugreek seeds and leaves are used quite extensively in South Asian cooking, especially in India. The seeds are used either whole, where they are used in liquids, or powdered and used is an ingredient is spice mixtures. As a seed, they are frequently toasted first to release more flavor, then used whole or ground.
In Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan cuisines, Fenugreek is used in curries, pickles, dal, soups, fish, vegetable dishes and many spice mixtures, as well in chutneys. In Mideast cuisines, it is used with vegetables, candies and halva.
Fenugreek seeds are used in some cuisines to add a slight maple flavor to dishes. They are also used in breads.
We also carry Fenugreek Powder, which we use in several of our curries, like Vadouvan Curry, Madras Curry, Maharajah Curry and Colombo Powder. We also blend Fenugreek Poweder in our Ethiopian Berbere Spice.