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Asafoetida

Pungent dried resin used in small amounts in Indian cooking. Also called hing.

Asafoetida — illustrative ingredient image

About Asafoetida

Asafoetida, also called hing, is a dried oleogum resin used as a seasoning, especially in Indian cooking. It is added in very small amounts to lentils, beans, vegetables, pickles, and spice mixtures, where cooking transforms its initially forceful aroma into a savoury seasoning character.

Raw asafoetida is intensely sulfurous and can smell onion-like, garlic-like, or medicinal. Fried briefly in oil or ghee, it becomes more rounded, savoury, and reminiscent of onion and garlic. Pure resin is sticky or hard, while common powdered products are softer and may be blended with starch, gum, or other materials.

The resin is collected, dried, and sold as lumps, granules, or powder, with powdered hing being the most convenient kitchen form. It is usually bloomed in hot fat before other ingredients are added, or mixed into a cooking liquid. The colour ranges from pale beige to yellow-brown or reddish-brown.

Ingredient type
seasoning

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Where asafoetida appears

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Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for asafoetida

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Asafoetida

English

Hing

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Asafoetida nutrition & diet

Asafoetida nutritional value

Reference: Asafoetida

Per 100 g of 100 g edible portion in the named official reference form.

Calories
331.5kcal
Protein
6.3g
Carbs
72.0g
Fat
1.3g

Official national food-composition reference. The displayed food form is part of the estimate; cultivar, recipe, brand, processing and preparation can change values.

Portions & preparation

Use the small culinary amount appropriate for asafoetida, and identify whether it is raw resin, powdered resin, or a compounded hing product. Many commercial preparations are blended with carrier ingredients, so the package formulation and the seasoning’s actual use in a dish should be recorded.

Compare the right form: Match a reference to asafoetida resin or the specific hing powder, identifying carrier flour, gum, starch, salt, and other blend ingredients.

Diet considerations

Pure asafoetida resin is plant-derived, but commercial hing blends may contain cereal flours, starches, gums, or other carriers. Compatibility therefore depends on the exact product, not the name alone. Animal additions or cereal-containing recipes further change the dish, while the seasoning’s small portion limits its standalone carbohydrate context.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 — G019 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .