Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is a member of the Apiaceae family. It is a strongly aromatic plant with feathery leaves. It has long been present in the cuisine and herbal medicine of the Mediterranean region. The recognizable, aniseed direction of the scent is associated with, among others, anethole.
A fruit used as a spice
Fennel, or fennel, is a different plant than garden fennel. In the herbal trade, the term seeds often refers colloquially to fruits used as spices. Their aroma is not a full description of the extract. It is also worth distinguishing the vegetable variety of fennel from the material obtained for fruit. The botanical name and the part used allow you to understand what the information in the composition actually refers to.
Meaning and application
The culinary uses of fennel are diverse: leaves, fruits and thickened leaf bases of vegetable varieties are used. What is colloquially sold as "fennel seeds" is botanically a fruit. The preparations may contain extracts and essential oil that are not identical raw materials. Fennel is also not the same as the popular garden dill. The exact name and indication of the plant parts help avoid these small but important mistakes.
In practice
Fennel fruit, its leaves and the vegetable leaf bases are different parts of one plant. Their common aromatic context does not mean an identical composition. Also, the essential oil and the extract are not the same material. The names distinguish between sweet and bitter varieties or raw materials, so a detailed description is more useful than the word "dill" itself. Fennel should also be distinguished from garden fennel and anise. They may evoke a similar direction of aroma, but they are different plants. When comparing recipes, you need to check the species, the part used and the form, instead of treating the scent association as proof of the identity of the raw material.