Panch phoron, Panch Phodan or Pancha Phutana is a whole

spice blend Spice mixes are blended spices or herbs. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in a recipe, it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand. Blends such as chili powder, curry powder, herbes de Provence, garlic salt, ...

, originating from the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent and used especially in the cuisine of

Eastern India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadha fr ...

and Northeastern India, especially in the cuisine of Bhojpur, Mithila, Odisha, Bengal and Nepal. The name literally means "five spices". All of the spices in panch phoron are seeds. Typically, panch phoron consists of fenugreek seed,

nigella seed ''Nigella sativa'' (black caraway, also known as black cumin, nigella, kalonji or siyahdaneh) is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern Europe (Bulgaria and Romania) and Western Asia (Cyprus, Turkey, Iran and Ir ...

, cumin seed, black mustard seed and

fennel seed Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

in equal parts. Some cooks prefer to use a smaller proportion of fenugreek seeds, because of their mildly bitter taste.

References

{{Herbs and spices Herb and spice mixtures Bengali cuisine Bangladeshi cuisine Nepalese cuisine Indian spices

See also

References