Cumin is a spice that belongs to the family of parsley. Cumin looks like a pale green seed that is obtained from a herb plant called ‘Cuminum cyminum’. Cumin seeds have elliptical shape and a little bitter taste. The cumin is widely used for its warm and distinctive flavor. It comes second in the popularity of spices after black pepper. Cumin is fondly used to make various side dishes as well as main dishes. Some of the highly acclaimed cumin dishes are chili con carne, zeera (cumin) rice and Jalzeera.
According to historians, cumin originated in Upper Egypt and Levant. This flavorful spice is closely linked with Morocco. Egyptians were introduced to cumin after they found the cumin seeds for the first time in Old Pyramids. For Romans and people of Greek, cumin is regarded as a cosmetic and medicinal plant. Presently, cumin is cultivated in many countries, for instance, India, America, Africa and China.
Cumin is usually added to various cumin recipes in order to enhance the flavor of the dish. It is used in either whole seed form or in powder form. Cumin is lightly roasted before incorporating in any of the cumin dishes. The main use of this popular spice is to make curry powder. Cumin is grounded with other elements such as clove, cardamom, mace, and cinnamon to make an aromatic powder that is used as a flavoring agent in several dishes. Usually, cumin is added to savory and spicy dishes. Stews and soups are highly flavored with this aromatic spice. Meat and vegetable, grilled or roasted dishes, are quite often marinated with cumin and yogurt mixture. Plain rice can also be sautéed with cumin to make a flavorful rice dish. Many beverages are made with cumin powder or cumin seeds. A famous German liqueur is also flavored with the aromatic cumin seeds.
• Zeera (cumin) rice – This is one of the most popular North Indian cumin dishes. In this dish, plain rice is flavored with cumin to provide zest to the dish.
• Zeera pani – This is a highly digestive zeera drink made in India. It can either be taken as a refreshing drink or as a medicinal drink.
• Chili con carne – It is a Spanish stew. Cumin is fondly added to give flavor to meat stew. Other ingredients include garlic and onion along with chili peppers.
• Spiced cornbread – This is a cumin-flavored bread that is well-liked as a side dish in various cuisines.
Cumin dishes are highly featured in Indian cuisine. In India, cumin is popularly known as ‘zeera’ and it is widely used in making zeera rice, zeera biscuit and zeera pani. Other than these dishes, cumin is commonly used in marinades, soups, lentils, curries as well as dry meat and vegetables dishes. Middle Eastern cumin dishes are quite popular in global cuisine. It is a highly used spice in making stews and grilled fish recipes. Moroccan national dish also include cumin as a flavoring agent. Mexican and Spanish cuisines include an assortment of cumin recipes, for example, enchiladas, salsa, chili sauce and spicy pork dishes. Chili con carne is one of the most popular Spanish cumin dishes. Portuguese sausages and cumin flavored cheese are very famous in European as well as other cuisines.
• Baked – Cumin-flavored breads and biscuits are made with this method.
• Marinated – Meat, chicken and fish are often marinated with cumin powder and other flavoring ingredients.
• Boiled – Cumin is boiled with other ingredients to make flavorful meat and vegetable soups and stews.
• Blended – Cumin seeds are blended with other ingredients to make chutneys and sauces.
• Grilled – Cumin flavored meat, chicken and fish dishes taste good when made with grilled method.
Cumin contains large amount of iron and various other dietary nutrients. Cumin seeds are highly digestive in nature and help in relieving flatulence. It is also a natural diuretic and an appetite stimulator.
• It is best to buy cumin in whole form rather than buying the powder. Powdered cumin tends to loose its flavor very fast.
• It is better to purchase cumin particularly from exclusive spice stores in order to get fresh and aromatic cumin.
• Organic cumin is highly preferred in terms of freshness and nutrition.
• Always keep the cumin seeds and powder in sealed jars.
• Whole seeds remain fresh for more than a year, whereas cumin powder stays fresh for not more than 6 months, at room temperature.
• Cumin dishes can also be stored in refrigerator.
Cumin seeds come in three varieties: Indian cumin, Middle Eastern cumin and Iranian cumin. All varieties of cumin differ in size, color and flavor. Iranian cumin is black in color and has slightly sweeter taste than the other varieties. White cumin is the most commonly used variety that is popular in India and Middle East.
• Cumin seeds are regarded as the dried fruits of the tree from which they are obtained.