For the 2011 film, see Vengayam. Fabaceae, with leaves fenugreek in italian of three small obovate to oblong leaflets.

It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Although sold as a dietary supplement, there is no clinical evidence that fenugreek has therapeutic properties. Fenugreek is believed to have been brought into cultivation in the Near East. It is uncertain which wild strain of the genus Trigonella gave rise to domesticated fenugreek.

In the 1st century AD, in Galilee, it was grown as a staple food, as Josephus mentions it in his book, the Wars of the Jews. The English name derives via Middle French fenugrec from Latin faenugraecum, faenum Graecum meaning “Greek hay”. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. In Armenian cuisine, fenugreek seed powder is used to make a paste that is an important ingredient to cover dried and cured beef to make basturma. In Iranian cuisine, fenugreek leaves are called shanbalileh.

They are one of several greens incorporated into the herb stew ghormeh sabzi, the herb frittata kuku sabzi and a soup known as eshkeneh. In Georgian cuisine, a related species—Trigonella caerulea called “blue fenugreek”—is used. In Egyptian cuisine, fenugreek is known by the Arabic name hilba or helba حلبة. Seeds are boiled to make a drink that is consumed at home, as well as in coffee shops.