Word of the Day: Asafoetida

I have been cooking a couple of Indian recipes recently (such as red lentils with cumin seed) that have called for asafoetida; I thought, ho ho, isn't it funny that it incoporates both "ass" and "fetid" into its name. I figured the etymology was unrelated, and it was merely coincidence. Hmmm... only half right there: according to Wikipedia, the name is derived from the Persian word for resin (asa) and Latin foetida, which refers to its strong sulfurous odour. A sentence in the article actually made me laugh out loud:

Its pungent odour has resulted in its being called by many unpleasant names; thus in French it is known (among other names) as Merde du Diable (Devil's faeces [ed: actually, more correctly, Devil's shit]); in some dialects of English too it was known as Devil's Dung, and equivalent names can be found in most Germanic languages (e.g. German Teufelsdreck)

"Honey, when you're at the store, can you also pick up some tonic water, limes, and Devil's shit?"

Also, according to Wikipedia, its odour is so strong that it must be stored in airtight containers; otherwise the aroma, which is nauseating in quantities, will contaminate other spices stored nearby.

Aw, faeces. I've been storing my bottle, sealed inside another plastic bag, in a container with my other spices; the inside of the larger container seems contaminated. Seems like a use for biohazard containers in the kitchen.

Anyway, while I'm on this subject, does anyone know why spices are so much cheaper at Indian food stores? These ~7 oz packages below cost $1-2 CAD each; I'm guessing that retail at the supermarket, they would be $5 or more each. At these prices, I would have minimal guilt about tossing out my spices after a year, as recommended by gourmand-types.


Perhaps it is that they are such an often-used component of Indian cuisine that it would not stand to make them so overpriced? Or that these bagged spices have a higher ppm of bug parts, dioxin, or something? Or maybe its those swell little glass jars... yeah, that must be it...