Finocchio (fennel) is found in two forms – the slightly fluffy looking herb fennel and the fat, white bulb commonly known as Florence fennel – and can be found growing wild throughout Italy. Both, along with the potent dried fennel seeds, are popular in Italian cuisine, whether chopped into a salad, sprinkled over fish as a garnish or used to add a sultry hit of anise to cured and cooked meats.

Browse this collection of fennel recipes for some inspiration from Italy's greatest chefs. Salvatore Elefante gives flavour to his grilled octopus recipe with a generous drizzle of wild fennel oil, while Luigi Sartini piles mounds of fennel fronds atop his Cuttlefish and plum tomato salad recipe to make a flavourful garnish. Fabrizio Marino demonstrates an innovative use of the bulb in his Vegan tiramisu recipe, using fennel, sugar and lemon to create a velvety fennel cream.