This spice is used as a digestive aid, in food as a condiment, and in pickles. It typically works as a flavor enhancer and, used along with turmeric, is a standard component of Indian cuisine, particularly in lentil curries, such as?dal, or various 'Pappu' like dosakaya,mamidikaya?or?tomato?pappu. as well as in numerous vegetable dishes. It is especially widely used in South Indian and Maharashtrian cuisine, which is mainly vegetarian, and is often used to harmonize sweet, sour, salty and spicy components in food. It is used to hallmark the taste of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu?sambar, a saucy dish made with cereals and lentils. The spice is added to the food at the time of?Chaunk / Popu/ tadka. Sometimes dried and ground asafoetida (in very mild quantity) can be mixed with salt and eaten with raw salad. In its pure form, its odour is so strong the aroma will contaminate other spices stored nearby if it is not stored in an airtight container: many commercial preparations of asafoetida utilize the resin ground up and mixed with a larger volume of wheat flour:the mixture is sold in sealed plastic containers with a small hole at the bottom, allowing the diluted spice to be dusted lightly over the food being cooked. However, its odour and flavour become much milder and more pleasant upon heating in oil orghee, acquiring a taste and aroma reminiscent of?sautéed?onion?and?garlic.It is used especially by the merchant?caste?of the Hindus and by adherents of?Jainism?and?Vaishnavism, particularly in?Rajasthan,?Gujarat?and?Maharashtra, who do not eat onions or garlic. It is used in many vegetarian and lentil dishes to add both flavor and aroma, as well as to reduce flatulence.

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The?resin-like?gum?comes from the dried?sap?extracted from the stem and roots and is used as a?spice. The resin is greyish-white when fresh but dries to a dark amber color. The asafoetida resin is difficult to grate and is traditionally crushed between stones or with a hammer. Today, the most commonly available form is compounded asafoetida, a fine powder containing 30% asafoetida resin, along with?rice?flour?and?gum arabic.

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Ferula assafoetida?is a?monoecious,?herbaceous,?perennial plant?of the family Umbelliferae, also called?Apiaceae. It grows to 2 meters high, with a circular mass of 30–40?cm leaves. Stem leaves have wide sheathing?petioles. Flowering stems are 2.5–3 meters high and 10?cm thick and hollow, with a number of?schizogenous?ducts in the?cortex?containing the resinous gum. Flowers are pale greenish yellow produced in large compound?umbels. Fruits are oval, flat, thin, reddish brown and have a milky juice. Roots are thick, massive, and pulpy. They yield a resin similar to that of the stems. All parts of the plant have the distinctive fetid smell

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