Description: Native to Southern Europe as well as the Middle and Far East, this ancient annual herb is a member of the carrot family and one of the most popular herbs in cuisine around the world. The root is widely used in Thai curries and other Southeast Asian dishes. The leaves are favored in cuisines throughout the Middle East, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico. In Northern Europe, where the seeds have always been more popular than the leaves, seeds are used for flavoring gin or as an ingredient in pickling spices. Use in soups, stews, curries, stir fries, pickling spices and with melted butter on fish and poultry.