Interview with Emmy and James Beard Award Winner, Ted Allen

But I wanted to talk to you about some of the things you've done on Chopped and in terms of the ingredients, because that's what we talk about on here.

We talk about the history of ingredients.

And so let's start, shall we? So, okay.

So the first one is asafoetida.

And I know that because I often use this word.

In Indian food, my father was from India, and I have a lot of that interest in me.

So tell me

about that.

Sure.

Asafoetida has lots of different variations on that spelling, too, by the way.

It's a latex gum that's exuded from the rhizome or the taproot of the sterula, which is a perennial herb from the carrot family used a lot in Iran.

Afghanistan, China, certainly Indian cooking.

But I'm going to leave that part up to you because you know that much better than I do.

It's a very strong aroma.

And in fact, it's where the word fetid came from.

Oh, really? which is rather fun in some cultures known affectionately as devil's dung.

Germany, I believe it's known as devil's dung.

Why are we talking about that when we're talking about food ingredients? I don't know.

It may be it's one of those things that you love it or maybe you don't or maybe you're or maybe you're ignorant of it.

And I don't because I don't know that ingredient super well.

And

it's used

primarily in what I, in Bengal, we use it because a lot of people don't eat garlic or onions.

So they

use this.