I know I've eaten it - love Indian food - but have never bought it. Had to go Wikipedia it...
devil's dung???!!!!
Asafoetida (Ferula assafoetida), alternative spelling asafetida, (play /æsəˈfɛtɨdə/)(1) (also known as devil's dung, stinking gum, asant, food of the gods, giant fennel, Jowani badian, hing and ting) is the dried latex (gum oleoresin) exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb (1 to 1.5 m high). The species is native to the mountains of Afghanistan, and is mainly cultivated in nearby India.(2) Asafoetida has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw, but in cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth flavor, reminiscent of leeks.
Contents
1 Uses
1.1 Cooking
1.2 Antiflatulent
1.3 Medical applications
Uses
Cooking
This spice is used as a digestive aid, in food as a condiment, and in pickles. It typically works as a flavor enhancer and, used along with turmeric, is a standard component of Indian cuisine, particularly in lentil curries, such as dal, as well as in numerous vegetable dishes. It is especially widely used in Karnataka cuisine, Gujarati cuisine, Maharashtrian cuisine and Tamil Nadu cuisine, which is mainly vegetarian, and is often used to harmonize sweet, sour, salty and spicy components in food. It is used to hallmark the taste of Karnataka saaru, Tamil Nadu sambar, a saucy dish made with cereals and lentils.
In its pure form, its odour is so strong the aroma will contaminate other spices stored nearby if it is not stored in an airtight container: many commercial preparations of asafoetida utilize the resin ground up and mixed with a larger volume of wheat flour(3): the mixture is sold in sealed plastic containers with a small hole at the top, allowing the diluted spice to be dusted lightly over the food being cooked. However, its odour and flavour become much milder and more pleasant upon heating in oil or ghee, acquiring a taste and aroma reminiscent of sautéed onion and garlic.(4)
Antiflatulent
Asafoetida reduces the growth of indigenous microflora in the gut, reducing flatulence.(5)
Medical applications
In Indian Subcontinent, it is used as antibiotic and it keeps small children healthy by protecting them from diseases.
fighting influenza: Asafoetida was used in 1918 to fight the Spanish influenza pandemic. In 2009, scientists at the Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan reported that the roots of Asafoetida produce natural antiviral drug compounds that kill the swine flu virus, H1N1. In an article published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Natural Products, the researchers said the compounds "may serve as promising lead components for new drug development" against this type of flu.(6)(7)
In Thailand and India, it is used to aid digestion and is smeared on the abdomen in an alcohol or water tincture known as mahahing.(smileys/bigeyes.gif(9)
It is also said(10) to be helpful in cases of asthma and bronchitis. A folk tradition remedy for children's colds: it is mixed into a pungent-smelling paste and hung in a bag around the afflicted child's neck.
antimicrobial: Asafoetida has a broad range of uses in traditional medicine as an antimicrobial, with well documented uses for treating chronic bronchitis and whooping cough, as well as reducing flatulence.(11)
contraceptive/abortifacient: Asafoetida has also been reported to have contraceptive/abortifacient activity,(12) and is related to (and considered an inferior substitute for) the ancient Ferula species Silphium.
antiepileptic: Asafoetida oleo-gum-resin has been reported to be antiepileptic in classical Unani, as well as ethnobotanical literature.(13)
balancing the vata: In Ayurveda, asafoetida is considered to be one of the best spices for balancing the vata dosha.(14)
