After reading Corby’s Maple Mystery -- especially the last bit where fenugreek imparts the maple syrup flavor to ice cream-- at last I understood why I hate maple syrup, one of the very few flavors I can’t stand; one other is fenugreek (!) which causes your body to reek if you eat lots of it. Basically known as one of the many curry components, fenugreek is a fascinating grain, not a spice but a legume, that contains important amounts of proteins and minerals that make it an essential additive for vegetarians.

Photo by zoyachubby

I was completely unfamiliar with the taste of fenugreek, which is difficult to find in Greece, although, ironically, its name in Latin means "Greek hay." Ancients called it Tἠλις(telis) -- a word since lost. In modern Greek it is called tsemeni, using its Turkishname. In Greek cooking fenugreek is the predominant spice used in the intensely flavored rub used in pastourma --the Greek and Middle Eastern version of pastrami.