Asafoetida - useful properties and contraindications

Spices are a special culinary category. They are not food, but it is spices that give each dish a unique taste. However, many seasonings are also used to increase the degree of utility of food. For example, it is known that hot pepper and turmeric help to speed up digestion processes, ground ginger promotes purification, etc. A lot of useful properties and possesses asafoetida. This spice is not very popular among the housewives, primarily because of its low prevalence. In addition, not everyone likes the specific smell and taste of asafoetida, which has a saying nickname "bad spirit". And indeed, spicy, smelling of rotten onions, can hardly cause a flush of appetite. Therefore, most often asafetida mixed with other seasonings, rice or corn flour.

Composition of asafoetidae

This spice is obtained from the roots of the same plant, or rather from the special milky juice that is contained in them. When in contact with the air, it freezes in the form of a clot of resin. And this is the future seasoning, which has yet to be fried in oil and ground to a powdery state. In the dry substance of asafoetids, there are essential oils, ferulic acid, coumarins, terpenes and other active substances. And in this it is comparable with garlic and onions, so in Asia it is used on a par with these spicy plants.

Useful properties and contraindications for asafoetidae

With proper use, spice can give food a completely unusual noble taste. Usually it is added to vegetable dishes, because in combination with meat and fish it is "lost". The amount of seasoning should be strictly metered, otherwise the food can be hopelessly spoiled.

In addition to the original taste properties, the benefit of asafoetida lies in its positive influence on the digestive process. It optimizes the work of the intestines, prevents the eruption and flatulence , and also has a mild analgesic effect. For this reason, spice is often used as an ingredient of various traditional medicine. For example, lotions with it relieve pain in the joints and lower back, relieve headaches, etc.

In addition to useful properties, and contraindications in asafoetida also exist. It can not be consumed by people with allergies, people with stomach problems, and those who suffer from skin problems.