Asafoetida, or hing as it is popularly known, has been a darling of almost every Indian kitchen since ages. What's more? Its recently found use as a product of medicinal value is driving its demand higher. And since India does not produce enough asafoetida to meet domestic demand, its imports makes for a lucrative business proposition.
The delicious fragrance of hing that originates from the kitch-en is invariably intoxicating. Those who've experienced it can swear by this fact. But did you know that hing, or asafoetida as it is otherwise known, the key ingredient of many of our lip-smacking snacks, is a product that is almost entirely imported from Afghanistan? Hing, the spice in that tiny bottle in your kitchen, is a dried latex made from a plant called Ferula Assa-foetida that is native to Afghanistan, though its cultivation has now spread to many of Afghanistan's neighbours like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. And while until recently Indian kitchens have been using asafoetida (which has a signature pungent smell) only as a spice to add flavour, the product is now also being used in various other food and healthcare products as people become more aware of its medicinal values.
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This story is from the July 2017 edition of The Dollar Business.
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This story is from the July 2017 edition of The Dollar Business.
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