Silphium

The herb silphium is a culinary treasure that is now extinct. It was a giant fennel plant, most likely in the genus Ferula. It was endemic to the region of Cyrenaica, which is now northeastern Libya. Silphium was reputed to possess a variety of medicinal properties, but its primary use was culinary. Its distinctive flavor initially became popular because it improved the taste of the sheep and goats that fed upon it. The herb itself was soon exported in large quantities, initially to Greece and later throughout the Roman empire but particularly to the city of Rome.

Silphium closely resembles a group of modern giant fennel plants in the genus Ferula. Today, dried resin from the rhizomes and tap roots of these plants is primarily used in small amounts in the cuisines of Iran, Afghanistan, and India.

The export trade in silphium enriched the city of Cyrene. During its most prosperous years as a Greek city state c. 500 – 246 BC, Cyrene issued numerous silver, and a few gold, coins bearing images of this herb or its heart-shaped seeds. Silphium was never brought into cultivation. Over harvesting diminished supply and increased price to such an extent that shortly before its extinction, silphium was worth its weight in silver. Pliny records that the last known stalk of silphium was presented to Emperor Nero (ruled 54-68 AD) as a curiosity.

The culinary usage of silphium is extensively documented in the earliest known cookbook, De re Coquinaria, which was compiled in the late fourth or early fifth century AD. By the time this book was compiled from earlier writings the herb was long extinct.

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