Monday, July 8, 2013

Introducing Sweet Trigonella


Blue fenu­greek is a culi­nary herb native to the Alps in Cen­tral and West­ern Europe, and the Cau­casus on the border between Asia and Europe; it is little known outside these regions.
Being a basic spice for many Georgian dishes it's called "Utskho Suneli" - this  means "foreign spice" in Georgian. Nevertheless, the spice is used throughout the country, but not beyond its borders, thus contributing strongly to the national character of Georgian food.

For the last few years I struggle to grow sweet fenugreek in my herb garden and only this year I have achieved a visible success.
Here is a summary of my experience:

-  it does best in well drained rich soil
-  doesn't like full sun spots and feels better in a partial shade. Especially in the afternoon
-  I regularly apply fungicide (Neem Oil spray gives a very good result)

Blue fenugreek seeds are unavailable outside Georgia, and thus have to be replaced. Regular fenugreek seeds are to strong and bitter; they should be mixed with dried fenugreek or blue fenugreek leaves to give an acceptable substitute.

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