After-Dinner Freshener

There are Ayurvedic explanations for the tradition, but really it comes down to pleasure, we think: After a meal comes the digestif. In France or Italy, the digestif is in liquid form: an after-dinner liqueur or perhaps a tisane; but in the Subcontinent, it’s usually plain spices. Sometimes it’s as simple as fennel seeds on a plate, green and inviting.

In Gujarat, the fennel seeds often come blended with coarse sugar or served alongside a bowl of coarse sugar so that diners can make