Food Guides: Spices: Cumin

Cumin, is one of the spices mentioned in both Old and New Testaments in the Bible as well as being well known in ancient Greece and Rome. Cumin has been grown and used ancient times. Unfortunately during the Middle ages, with the exception of Spain, cumin fell out of popularity in Europe. It is however a widely used spice today.

Today, Cumin is grown in Chile, North America, Syria, Egypt, Morraco, Iran and India. Cumin comes fron a dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, and annual herb that is part of the parsley family.The seeds themselves resemble caraway seeds but have a lighter color as well as tiny bristles that are very hard to see with the naked eye.

Identified mostly with Mexican and Indian cuisine, cumin is used in mainly spice foods. However, it is also used as a pickling ingredient for sauerkraut as well as being used in chutneys. It is also found in Dutch cheeses as well as Middle Eastern foods where it is used to spice fish, grilled meats, and stews.