. . asafoetida, known in the West as the ever popular "Devil's dung". It was considered by the Romans a poor substitute for silphium, which rgrettably is now extinct.

Actually I've used asafoetida (ayurvedic grade - otherwise you can't be sure just what you're getting). It does add a sophistication to vegetable dishes as onion and garlic would, but it's not the same sophistication. I consider it an even poorer substitute for the lilly family than it was for silphium.

Warning: Many Indian recipes proportion asafoetida for a highly adulterated product. If you have the real thing - never more than 1/16th teaspoon to serve 4 people - and fry in oil first before adding other ingredients. If you have the adulterated product fry that too even though the literature says you don't have to - it's better that way.