Asafoetida - Devil's Dung! or Hing

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Asafoetida is a pungent spice that comes from the sap of Ferula roots.   In it's raw gum form it has a foul smell hence the name Devil's Dung!

Once fried for 30secs in oil though, it gives a lovely onion/leek/garlic flavour.  Phew.  It is used widely in Indian, Persian & Arabic food.

I found mine at a local asian store, where it was known as 'Hing' , but all the big manufacturers make it, so it will be in a lot of supermarkets. 

You can buy it in bags of untreated resin, but it is very pungent & very smelly!  Far more often it comes in powder form in pots, mixed with a little rice flour to keep it dry and make the taste less harsh.

Just in case, here are a few stockists....




For USA use 


For the rest of Europe use:


Hope this helps!

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