Fennel was brought to China's central plain from what is now Ningxia Province, where the peoples of the region used it to remove rankness from roast mutton and beef.
小茴香即從西域傳入中原，它原產於寧夏省，是當地人烤牛羊肉用的香料，香氣可以驅除牛羊肉的腥羶氣味。「八角」中國化，獨拔頭籌