Fennel is a native of Europe and Asia Minor. It is cultivated extensively in Northern India as a cold weather crop. The leaves of fennel are used for garnishing & its stalks are used in salads. It is an essential ingredient in Italian sausages, widely used to sprinkle on pizza. Important flavour compounds in fennel are (E)-anethole, fenchone. Dried fruits have fragrant odour and pleasant aromatic taste and therefore used as a masticatory. They are also used for flavouring soups, meat dishes, sauces, pastries, confectionaries and liquors.