Asafoetida is used in very small amounts, mixed with other spices and herbs
in Indian flavorings. You'll sometimes see it in lists of ingrediants. The
name contains the British spelling of "fetid," which means smelling like
feces. When I was a kid, over 60 years ago, my folks kept a chunk of it,
tightly wrapped, in the back of the medicine chest. When, in their judgment,
I had bad breath, they would cut off a piece about as big as the tip of a
paring knife, and make me eat it. I guess it fell under the heading of
fighting fire with fire. I wasn't in a good position to determine whether it
really worked.
On a separate subject, I keep seeing references, in veggy books, to yogurt
cheese. Now that I've made some, what do I do with it? Anyone have recipes
that call for it?
Max Weaver
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