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Fenugreek
is one of the earliest spices known to man. Ancient Egyptians used
it as a food, medicine and an embalming agent. The ripe, dried fruit
of a quick-growing annual leguminous herb, fenugreek has a strong,
pleasant and quite peculiar odour reminiscent of maple. Traditionally,
fenugreek grows best in well-drained loams with a low rainfall.
In India, this spice is often cultivated as a cover crop in citrus- |
fruit
groves to take advantage of their leguminous nature. The major producers
of Indian fenugreek are Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu. Commercially known as 'Methi', Indian fenugreek comes in several
well-known varieties such as 'Desi' and 'Champa'. The spice is exported
in its whole and powdered forms as well as in the form of extracted
oil which is extensively used in perfumery. The major importers
of Indian fenugreek are Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysia, USA, The
UK, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
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