Ground Cumin

Description

Cumin, Cuminum cyminum, is from the family Apiaceae. Cumin, pronounced "khu-min", it is closely related to anise, caraway, coriander, dill and fennel. Cumin is native to the Mediterranean regions and northern Africa but has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Middle East, India, China and the Mediterranean.

In the U.S. cumin has not historically been a widely used spice but more recently it has gained in popularity. Worldwide cumin is one of the most consumed spices right after chiles and pepper. Cumin is a key spice in Indian, Mexican, and Vietnamese cuisine.

Cumin is called Siu wuih heung (Cantonese), Kuming or Xiao hui xiang (Mandarin), cumin (French), Kreuzkummel (German), jeera (Indian), cumino (Italian) and comino (Spanish). 

History of Cumin

The English cumin comes from Latin "cuminum", which was borrowed from Greek "kyminon", further origin may be Semitic: Aramaic "kamuna" (a Syrian dialect in the Near East from the 6th century BC), Old Hebrew "kammon", Egyptian "kamnini" and the ultimate origin is maybe Sumerian "gamun" (spoken in southern Mesopotamia in 3000-2000 BC) from Akkadian "kamunu" (spoken in northern Mesopotamia from 3000-1000 BC).

Cumin is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible as a seasoning for bread and soup and as a way to pay tithes to priests. Ancient Egyptians used cumin as a culinary spice, but also in the mummification process of pharaohs.

The ancient Mesopotamia Yale Culinary Tablets, which date back to 1750 BC and are generally considered the world’s oldest collection of recipes, mentions the use of cumin. Ancient Greek and Egyptian physicians documented cumin’s perceived medical benefits.

Cumin was popular during the Medieval period (476-1300) and was one of the most common plants grown in monasteries. King Henry III (England’s King from 1216-1272) was a cumin connoisseur and his kitchen staff would buy approximately 20 pounds of cumin at a time to ensure that he was never without his favorite spice.

Spanish colonists are most likely responsible for introducing cumin to America and they mostly settled in Florida, the Southwest and the Pacific Coastal regions of the country. In the 1600s cumin was being grown in the west in what is modern day New Mexico and the southwest region is where cumin became a key ingredient in the area's cuisine, frequently paired with chiles.

When Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the U.S. his wife had a home made chili recipe that became somewhat famous. Cumin is a key ingredients in what they called their "Pedernales River Chili" which was named after the location of their Texas Hill Country ranch. The first lady, Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson, had cards printed with the LBJ’s “Pedernales River Chili" recipe o  them and these would be mailed to the thousands of requestors for it from across the country.

Cumin Cultivation

Cumin is a drought tolerant, tropical or subtropical crop that grows best in warm, dry climates. Ideal growing conditions are long, hot summers with temperatures between 77° to 86°F and that last 3-4 months. Depending on where it’s grown, cumin has a growing season of 100-120 days. The plant produces small white or pink flowers that grow in clusters on short stems, looking like small umbrellas.

When the plant starts to wilt and the seeds have changed colors from dark green to a brownish yellow the Cumin seeds are ready to be harvested. The whole plant is removed from the ground and then laid in thin piles to dry in the sun.

After this first drying process the plant is threshed (beaten) with sticks which releases the seeds from the plant. The seeds are then separated and winnowed using a traditional winnowing basket that removes the dirt, dust, leaves and twigs. Next they are either spread out on mats or trays and placed in the sun to dry or, in more humid growing environments, put in a commercial drier. During this second drying process they will get down to approximately a 10% moisture content.

India has traditionally been the world’s leading commercial producer of cumin with 70% of the market, followed by Syria (15%) and Turkey (5%). With the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East Syria and Turkey combined are now only producing about 10% of the world's total. India is now producing close to 80% of the cumin output.

Our Cumin Seeds are cultivated in India.

How to Cook with Cumin

For cooks in the Far East, Latin America, Mexico, the Middle East and North Africa, cumin has long been a signature spice and is a key ingredient in various spice blends and many bean, couscous, curries, rice and vegetable dishes.

Cumin flourishes when used with beans, bread, cabbage, pungent cheeses, chicken, eggplant, lamb, lentils, onions, potatoes, rice, sauerkraut and squash.

Cumin works well in combination with allspice, anise seed, brown mustard, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, turmeric and yellow mustard.

Some of our favorite recipes with Ground Cumin are Chicken Enchilada Soup, Peruvian Beef Stew, Grilled Vegetable Burrito, Vegetarian Bean Chili, Quick and Easy Vegetable Curry, Albondigas and Carne Asada Marinade.

In our home spice cabinet, we stock whole Cumin Seed so that we can freshly grind it in the exact quantity called for in a recipe for optimum flavor. Cumin is one of the spices that has a fairly high volatile oil content (2.5% to 4%) and once ground, the flavor starts to dissipate quickly. At our facility we grind cumin seeds several times a week for maximum flavor.

We recommend using cumin sparingly as it is quite potent and can easily overwhelm a dish.

What Does Cumin Taste Like

Ground Cumin has a very distinctive flavor with an earthy, nutty, spicy taste with somewhat bitter undertones and a warm, penetrating aroma with hints of lemon.

The Confusion with Caraway, Black Cumin and Nigella

There is some confusion between Cumin, Black Cumin, Caraway and Nigella but these are actually four completely different spices.

Black Cumin, Cuminum nigrum, also known as Kala Jeera, is a popular spice in North Indian, Iranian and Pakistani cuisine and is a smaller variety of cumin with a different flavor profile.

Caraway Seed, Carum carvi, is closely to and looks very similar to Cumin but their flavor profiles are very different. Caraway seed has a biting, warm sweet flavor that brings to mind anise and dill.   

Nigella Seeds, Nigella Sativa, is sometimes incorrectly sold as “black cumin”, “black caraway” or "onion seeds" but is not technically any of these.

Common Questions About Cumin

We often get lots of questions about cumin and here are some of the most common.

Is cumin spicy?
Yes it's definitely spicy, but it doesn't have the same kind of spicy heat that chile peppers possess or the bite that black pepper has.

What can I substitute for cumin?
It is pretty much impossible to replicate the flavor of cumin in a recipe but if you’re in a pinch your best bet is ground coriander and my second choice would be chili powder (as this typically contains some cumin). Some people like to say that caraway seed is a good substitute but I disagree as the flavor of caraway is also very potent but very different as well.

How do I toast cumin?
Preheat a small, heavy, dry skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seed to the skillet and stir very frequently for about for 3 or 4 minutes. The seeds will start to turn darker and you'll know when their done when they start to smell fragrant, toasty and several may even start to pop. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to cool. Once cool grind in your coffee grinder (you should have one designated for spices only). You can toast cumin powder but we don't as it tends to stick to the pan and burn very easily.

** This product is certified kosher.

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