Fennel
Foeniculum vulagre

The folklore about this aromatic herb begins in a Grecian town named "Marathon," where wild fennel grows in the surrounding countryside. As the story goes, Athenians defeated the Persians in a battle there in 490 B.C. An athlete carried a sprig of fennel as he ran the 25 miles to Athens with the victory news, so fennel was often called "marathon" after that. Fennel "seeds" (actually tiny fruits) have traditionally been chewed to help dispel hunger pains during fasts and long sermons. Fennel is also a popular flavoring in many beverages and foods, because of its strong licorice taste. One constituent of fennel's volatile oil is "anethole," which may be responsible for its reputation as a digestive aid.