Indian Spices > Cumin

Name - Cumin

Genus Species - Cuminum cyminum 

Family - Apiaceae
Origin - East Mediterranean
Cultivated - Iran, Turkey, India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Southern Russia, Morocco, Mexico

Description - This seed spice is, like coriander, an ancient Mediterranean flavor. It is popular in Morocco in kabobs and couscous, in England in mulligatawny soup, in German sausages, pickles, cakes and breads, Dutch cheese, Mexican sauces and chili con carne, in hummus and in India’s masalas and curries. It is also used in liqueur, such as kummel, when alcohol is flavored with cumin, caraway, and fennel. Cumin and caraway are often confused with each other, and with anise, which is sometimes called sweet cumin. In the U.S.A., this spice is used in condiments, in flavors and in perfumes. Cumin is grown extensively in Iran, and is used in many Persian recipes. However, the Iranian spice, black cumin, and the similar spice, nigella, are less popular outside Iran, India and a few other countries, in which they are mostly used for flavoring rice dishes. See a list of spices by Taste and Hotness.

Useful Parts - The seeds are the source of the flavor. They may be used whole or more likely ground.

Medicinal Properties - Cumin resembles other similar old spices, having been advocated for many medical indications. There is no evidence that it has useful properties other than being a spicy flavor with digestive benefits. Nevertheless, it is being evaluated for possible anticancer and antioxidant effects.
 

Historical View - Cumin agrees with the other umbelliferous fruits in being mildly stimulant, aromatic, and carminative. It is, however, rarely or ever used internally in this country, or in the United States, for medicinal purposes, caraway being equally efficient and a much mor agreeable remedy. In India, however, cumin fruits are much valued as a carminative by the natives. As a discutient and resolvent, cumin is sometimes used externally in the form of the old official “Emplastrum Cumini” of the London Pharmacopoeia.