Wild Fennel: Greece's Mythic Ingredient

Wild fennel: Greeks call it maratho; Italians refer to it as finocchio selvatico; and it grows all over the Greek islands and the mainland. Marathon, the area south of Athens where in 490 BC Greeks won the famous, decisive battle against the invading Persian army, probably acquired its name because of its abundant fennel fields. A young soldier, Pheidippides, ran the 42 kilometers from Marathon to Athens to announce the triumphant victory, thus inspiring the eponymous run.

The 19th-century British poet Robert Browning tapped the myth and, of course, its fennel fields, in his ode to the young runner: "Fight I shall, with our foremost, wherever this fennel may grow," Pheidippides proclaimed. Little did he know the run from Marathon to Athens would be his last, as "Like wine thro' clay, / Joy in his blood bursting his heart, he died, the bliss!" Wild fennel is mostly used as an herb to add aroma to all sorts of vegetable, meat, and fish dishes, and it is essential in marathopites--the small, phylo-wrapped turnovers made in Crete. The filling for these pies contains various kinds of wild and cultivated greens, but the distinct aroma and licorice-like flavor of wild fennel is so prominent it lends its name to the dish. The sweetness of wild fennel also balances the lemony flavor in yahnera: a dish in which greens, potatoes, and onions, scallions, or leeks are stewed in olive oil with plenty of lemon juice; occasionally yahnera is enriched with artichokes, and the wild fennel of spring complement this simple yet delicious dish.

Recipe: Stuffed Tomatoes With Fennel
Recipe: Stewed Fennel and Onions

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