The name "fenugreek" or foenum-graecum is from Latin for "Greek hay". The Marathi name is Methi or Methya. The Kannada name is "menthya". The Tamil name for it is "Vendayam". The Telugu name for it is "Menthulu". The Malayalam name is "Uluva".In Sinhala it is called Uluhaal. (In Oriya,Bangla, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi it is called Methi (Urdu: میتھی). In Persian it is Shanbalîleh (شنبليله), and in Arabic its name is Hilbeh. The Malay language borrows the term halba from Arabic. The plant's similarity to wild clover has likely spawned its Swedish name, "bockhornsklöver" as well as in German - "Bockshornklee" , literally meaning 'ram's horn clover'. Zohary and Hopf note that it is not yet certain which wild strain of the genus Trigonella gave rise to the domesticated fenugreek but believe it was brought into cultivation in the Near East. Charred fenugreek seeds have been recovered from Tell Halal, Iraq, (radiocarbon dating to 4000 BC) and Bronze Age levels of Lachish, as well as desiccated seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamen.Cato the Elder lists fenugreek with clover and vetch as crops grown to feed cattle (De Agri Cultura, 27).

    Kasuri Methi is used as vegetable in various eatables. Fresh Methi herb does not contain any smell but after drying, it becomes fragrant and possesses a specific type low grade smell. Methi from Kasur / Qasoor in Punjab (Pakistan) is very famous in its fragrance throughout the country and known as Kasurii Methi.

    Kasuri Methi leaves are also used as a condiment for flavoring and giving special delicious taste. Steaming is considered the best method of cooking leaves; in this the vitamins are retained and the vegetable become palatable. The dried leaves can be composed to pulses for their protein content. They supplement the lysine-deficient cereal diets. They have an aromatic odor and agreeable spicy taste. Kasuri Methi leaves is an important ingredient of curry powder and juicy and fry vegetables.

   Historically, fenugreek was used for a variety of health conditions, including menopausal symptoms and digestive problems. It was also used for inducing childbirth.

   Today, it is used for diabetes and loss of appetite, and to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding women. It is also applied to the skin to treat inflammation.