Fennel seeds are the dried seeds of the fennel plant, which is an aromatic herb belonging to the parsley family. This herb is commonly known as saunf in Hindi. The fennel seeds are roughly 4 to 8 mm in length and each one looks like a grooved or ridged grain of rice. Saunf comes in colors ranging from bright green to pale green and tan. Like the fennel plant, the seeds have a licorice-like taste, although they are sweeter and slightly less pungent and intense than licorice.