Quote:

As I labour in the spice mines of East Indian cooking, I have come across a curious one, made of a resinous gum extract from the rhizomes of a palm tree. It has a strong and bitter taste but, when cooked with other ingredients, produces a flavour a bit like onions and/or garlic and with the nose of a truffle. Some sources call it asafetida and others asafoetida. Why? And which is better?



You didn't mention its awful odour?! Call it hing (heeng) - it's much easier to say, and the name will be more easily recognisable to most Indians, should you discuss your culinary creations with them. Interestingly, some Brahmins will not eat onions or garlic, and use hing as a substutitute. A friend from Poona informed me that hing "helps you fart less", and it is true that one of the main reasons for its use in Indian cooking is as a digestive aid. Its preparation and use are discussed at some length in this thread from somewhere lese:
http://bollywhat.com/forum/index.php?topic=6884.0

noho ora mai
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