What,
you might ask, do pizza and colicky babies have
in common? When the baby’s sick, a pizza
delivery might be the key to feeding the rest
of the family? Good idea but wrong answer.
One of the most delightful and distinctive
flavors associated with pizza sauce is from the
fennel seeds it’s seasoned with. Fennel,
a bulbous vegetable long enjoyed on the dinner
table in parts of Europe, produces seeds that
have a pleasant, licorice-like flavor that put
the signature touch to such dishes as marinara
sauce and grillade au fenouille, a traditional
dish from Provence made with fish.
Romans and Anglo-Saxons alike used fennel
seeds to flavor foods but they were also appreciative
of its gas-relieving qualities as well. Restaurants
around the Mediterranean Sea often have small
bowls of fennel seeds at the door so patrons can
grab a few seeds to chew on after dining. Traditional
Indian dishes, such as curries, are often followed
by a bowl of the seeds or a fennel-laced dessert
to aid digestion.
It’s the ability of the fennel seeds
to calm a troubled stomach that has made it popular
with mothers throughout the ages who have an irritable,
colicky baby on their hands. In an Israeli study
conducted in 1993, colicky babies were given a
mild fennel tea or a placebo for seven days. The
babies given the fennel tea showed significant
relief.
Moms with colicky babies might find some
relief for themselves by giving baby some fennel
tea. Once the baby is quiet and calm, Mom can
call for a pizza delivery so she can enjoy some
fennel, too.
Reference
The Complete Book of Natural & Medicinal Cures;
Rodale Pres, Inc.; Emmaus, PA; 1994
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