Etymology
From the Norwegian "dilla," meaning to calm or to cradle, because of dill's sedative properties.

Description
An aromatic umbelliferous plant from the Apiaceae family (a kind of fennel). Its long filiform leaves, like a bouquet of green feathery plumes, grow in branches on a hollow, often single, stem, unlike fennel.

Though its scent is somewhat reminiscent of parsley, its flavor is actually more like anise, but milder than its cousin fennel. It is rich in minerals. With its suggestion of a Pernod sipped on a warm afternoon, dill brings a note of Provence into the kitchen even though it is considered a northern herb. It brings to mind holidays and meals by the water. It is an underused herb, one which merits more attention.