The Hackney Butchers Association

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.... GREENLIFE.CO.UK SPICESOFINDIA.CO.UK THEASIANCOOKSHOP.CO.UK For USA use  ISHOPINDIAN.COM For the rest of Europe use: INDIASTORE.DE Hope this helps!

You can buy this bottled, it lasts for ages.  There are dozens of different brands available. I'm lucky enough to have a large Turkish community nearby, so can get this easily.  If you can't get it from local shops, you can try online.  There are loads of companies shipping all over the world.  This is one I found immediately. I'll be posting a load of pomegranate recipes soon.  In the meantime, I came across this good looking BBQ sauce using pomegranate.    It can also be made from scratch very easily if you can get hold of a pomegranate or two... CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE: