Asafoetida, commonly known as hing in India, is used to add flavour to our food. Adding asafoetida not only improves the taste of the food but even gives it a flavourful aroma. Its consumption is also helpful in keeping your digestive system healthy. Detecting adulteration in asafoetida is not an easy task. Many people are not able to identify fake asafoetida, even if they want to. There are some ways that can help you to test the purity of asafoetida. Let us have a look at some of them:
Use a candle: You can use a candle to check the purity of asafoetida. For this, keep the asafoetida on a burning candle. Pure asafoetida will start burning as soon as it comes in contact with the fire. Fake asafoetida, on the other hand, will not burn if put on fire.
Check its colour: You should know that pure hing is light brown in colour. When it is put in hot ghee, it starts to swell and the colour changes to light red. If such a change does not happen with your asafoetida, then you should know that there is adulteration present in it.
Smell it: Asafoetida’s purity can also be checked by its smell. Wash your hands with soap after you touch it. The fragrance of real asafoetida will not go away from the hands. But when you touch fake hing, its smell will disappear once you wash your hands.
Difference in price: The best way to differentiate between real or fake hing is their price. Real asafoetida is expensive and is not available everywhere.
Dissolve in water: Another way to identify the quality of asafoetida is when it is dissolved in water, its colour changes to milky white. If the colour does not change then the asafoetida is fake. If you want to eat real hing, you should buy a thick piece or lump of hing and grind it at home. Powdered asafoetida is considered to be more adulterated, so it is also a bit cheaper. It is better to store it in a tin box or glass bottle. This way its fragrance lasts for a long period of time.
