Fenugreek can be used fresh, cooked, or roasted. The seeds are usually used as a spice. Fenugreek is also used to help against coughing and to clear the respiratory tract.
General information:
From Wikipedia: “Fenugreek (/ˈfɛnjʊɡriːk/; Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and its leaves are common ingredients in dishes from South Asia.”
Uses:
“Fenugreek is used as a herb (dried or fresh leaves), spice (seeds), and vegetable (fresh leaves, sprouts, and microgreens). Sotolon is the chemical responsible for fenugreek's distinctive sweet smell. Cuboid-shaped, yellow- to amber-coloured fenugreek seeds are frequently encountered in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, used both whole and powdered in the preparation of pickles, vegetable dishes dal, and spice mixes such as panch phoron and sambar powder. They are often roasted to reduce bitterness and enhance flavour.”
Cooking:
“Fresh fenugreek leaves are an ingredient in some Indian curries. Sprouted seeds and microgreens are used in salads. When harvested as microgreens, fenugreek is known as samudra methi in Maharashtra, especially in and around Mumbai, where it is often grown near the sea in the sandy tracts, hence the name samudra, "ocean" in Sanskrit. Samudra methi is also grown in dry river beds in the Gangetic plains. When sold as a vegetable in India, the young plants are harvested with their roots still attached and sold in small bundles in the markets and bazaars. Any remaining soil is washed off to extend their shelf life.
In Turkish cuisine, fenugreek seeds are used for making a paste known as çemen. Cumin, black pepper, and other spices are added into it, especially to make pastırma.
In Persian cuisine, fenugreek leaves are called "شنبلیله" (shanbalile). They are the key ingredient and one of several greens incorporated into ghormeh sabzi and eshkeneh, often said to be the Iranian national dishes.
In Egyptian cuisine, peasants in Upper Egypt add fenugreek seeds and maize to their pita bread to produce aish merahrah, a staple of their diet.
Fenugreek is used in Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine. The word for fenugreek in Amharic is abesh (or abish), and the seed is used in Ethiopia as a natural herbal medicine in the treatment of diabetes.”
Nutrition:
“Per 100 g, fenugreek leaves provide 210 kilojoules (49 kcal) and contain 89% water, 6% carbohydrates, 4% protein and less than 1% fat, with calcium at 40% of the Daily Value (DV).
Fenugreek seeds (per 100 g) are rich sources of protein ..., dietary fibre ..., B vitamins, iron ... and several other dietary minerals.”
Safety:
“Some people are allergic to fenugreek, and people who have peanut allergy and chickpea allergy may have a reaction to fenugreek. Fenugreek seeds can cause diarrhea, dyspepsia, abdominal distention, flatulence, perspiration, and a maple-like smell to urine or breast milk. There is a risk of hypoglycemia particularly in people with diabetes; it may also interfere with the activity of anti-diabetic drugs. Because of the high content of coumarin-like compounds in fenugreek, it may interfere with the activity and dosing of anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs. Fenugreek may affect uterine contractions and may be unsafe for women with hormone-sensitive cancers.
It causes birth defects in animals and there are reports that it also causes birth defects in humans, and that it can pass through the placenta; it also appears to negatively affect male fertility, female fertility, and the ability of an embryo in animals and humans.”
Traditional medicine:
“In traditional medicine, fenugreek is thought to promote digestion, induce labour, and reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics, although the evidence for these effects is lacking.”
Nutrient tables
The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.
Nutritional Information
|
per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
|
---|---|---|---|
Energy | 323 kcal 1'351 kJ | 16.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal | |
Fat/Lipids | 6.4 g | 9.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g | |
Saturated Fats | 1.5 g | 7.3% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g | |
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) | 58 g | 21.6% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g | |
Sugars | n/a | ||
Fiber | 25 g | 98.4% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g | |
Protein/Albumin | 23 g | 46.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g | |
Cooking Salt (Na:67.0 mg) | 170 mg | 7.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2.4g |
Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions | per 100g | 2000 kcal | |
---|---|---|---|
Min | Iron, Fe | 34 mg | 240.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Prot | Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.39 g | 158.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Min | Copper, Cu | 1.1 mg | 111.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Prot | Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 1.2 g | 100.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Prot | Threonine (Thr, T) | 0.90 g | 97.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Prot | Lysine (Lys, K) | 1.7 g | 91.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Prot | Leucine (Leu, L) | 1.8 g | 73.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 2.4 g |
Prot | Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 1.1 g | 70.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Prot | Valine (Val, V) | 1.1 g | 68.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Min | Manganese, Mn | 1.2 mg | 61.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g
Explanations of nutrient tables in general
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Essential amino acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.39 g | 158.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 1.2 g | 100.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Threonine (Thr, T) | 0.90 g | 97.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Lysine (Lys, K) | 1.7 g | 91.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Leucine (Leu, L) | 1.8 g | 73.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 2.4 g |
Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 1.1 g | 70.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Valine (Val, V) | 1.1 g | 68.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Methionine (Met, M) | 0.34 g | 36.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Vitamins | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.60 mg | 43.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.32 mg | 29.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 57 µg | 29.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.37 mg | 26.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 1.6 mg | 10.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 3.0 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Vitamin A, as RAE | 3.0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg |
Essential macroelements (macronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Magnesium, Mg | 191 mg | 51.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 296 mg | 42.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Potassium, K | 770 mg | 39.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Calcium, Ca | 176 mg | 22.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Sodium, Na | 67 mg | 8.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Essential trace elements (micronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Iron, Fe | 34 mg | 240.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Copper, Cu | 1.1 mg | 111.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Manganese, Mn | 1.2 mg | 61.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Zinc, Zn | 2.5 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg |
Selenium, Se | 6.3 µg | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 55 µg |
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