This recipe from 14th-century Egypt requires cultivated fennel, which is called shamār (شمار) here, an infrequent word for this herb, which is usually known as rāziyānaj (رازيانج) and, in the Maghrib and al-Andalus, as nāfiʿ (نافع) or basbās (بسباس).
The fennel is rubbed with salt and then left in a bowl to dry it out. The dairy element is equally easy to do; drain yoghurt and mix in pounded garlic and mint with olive oil. When that is done, it is time to add the yoghurt mixture to the fennel. Before serving, sprinkle some mint and dried rosebuds on top, and dot black olives about the surface. You can eat it immediately.
