Traditions with asafoetida

Asafoetida, or hing, is a resin from the roots of a giant fennel plant, which has a strong smell when raw and a savoury, onion-like flavour when cooked in hot oil. It is used in a pinch at the start of a dish in Indian cooking, especially in Jain and Brahmin households that avoid onion and garlic. It also features in Iranian and Afghan dishes. Though called the devil's dung in some old texts, cooks prize it. These pages follow where it is used.

Where it is used

In Gujarati, Marwari and Jain kitchens, hing is tempered in oil with cumin and mustard seeds to flavour dal and vegetables. In South India it is used in sambar and rasam, and in Kashmiri Pandit cooking, it is common. In Iran and Afghanistan it is added to meat dishes, and it is grown in the mountains of Central Asia. Most of the world's supply goes to India.

What it means

Because it replaces onion and garlic, hing makes it possible to cook rich dishes within religious dietary rules, and so it is part of the food of fasts and festivals, including Navratri and Paryushana. It is kept in small airtight tins, as its smell spreads. In some homes, it is part of a mother's remedy for a child's stomach, a custom described here as tradition rather than advice.