Black Cumin Seed

Description

Black cumin has its origins in Egypt, Iran and North India and is grown in Iran, Kashmir (which today is split between India, Pakistan and China), and Pakistan. Black Cumin’s botanical name is Carum persicum Boiss. The most common Indic name (Indic refers to India or the Indian subcontinent) for this spice is kala jira, which translates to “black cumin”. In the U.S. “kala jira” is more commonly spelled as “kala jeera”. Black Cumin is often confused with a completely unrelated spice nigella (which is also known as black caraway or onion seed).

Black cumin is smaller and has a different flavor profile than “regular” cumin (which is grown in China, Iran and Turkey). We consider Black Cumin to be an exotic spice as it’s very hard to get and buyer’s should be cautious as it’s very common for companies to be incorrectly selling black caraway (also called nigella or nigella stevia), caraway or even ajwain seeds (which in Arabic means “king’s cumin”) as black cumin.

History and Cultivation

Black Cumin is also known as “Kashmiri cumin” or "Imperial cumin". It’s called “Kashmiri Cumin” because Kashmir is the only region in India where black cumin is produced. The name “imperial cumin” refers to the popularity of black cumin in the Mughal cuisine of northern India (a style of cooking developed in South Asia by the imperial kitchens of the Muslim Mughal Empire). The Moguls ruled North India from 1526-1857. Mughal cooking combined Iranian and Middle Eastern ingredients with local preparation methods and influenced much of North Indian cuisine. Black Cumin is also a favorite spice in Pakistani and Iranian foods.  

How To Use

Black cumin is popular in North African and Middle Eastern spice blends such as Saudi Arabian baharat and Yemeni zhoug. Iranians use black cumin to intensify many lamb and meat dishes, in the Middle East it’s used in couscous, lamb roasts, ground meat dishes (called kibbeh), sausages and vegetables and in North Africa they’re found in tagines (meat stews).

In Kashmiri cuisine black cumin is an indispensable flavoring in meat and rice dishes where creamy rich sauces are the norm. Black cumin is used whole and is roasted in India where it’s added to biryanis, breads, chutneys, curries, kebabs, kormas (meat and/or vegetables braised in a spiced sauce), and yogurts. It’s also found in some versions of the Indian spice blend garam masala.

Appearance

Black cumin is darker, almost black, very thin, and has a much smaller fruit (aka seeds) than regular cumin, and is about 1/10 of an inch long.

Flavor Profile

Black cumin is sweeter than cumin with sharp lemon notes and caraway-like undertones. When black cumin is dry or oil roasted the flavor becomes richer, nuttier and mellower as well. The aroma of the dry seed is earthy.

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