Asafoetida

Asafoetida is a pungent spice resin from the Ferula plant, widely used in Indian cooking where it is called hing. Raw asafoetida has an intensely sulfurous, garlicky smell, but when used in tiny amounts in perfumery, it adds a unique, warm, earthy depth with an animalic quality.

In fragrances, asafoetida provides a mysterious, dark spiciness. It pairs with other spices, oud, incense, and dark woods.