Organic Ground Cumin

Description

Cumin, pronounced "khu-min", Cuminum cyminum, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae.
Other members of this family include anise, caraway, coriander, dill and fennel. In India, it is known as “jeera”, and in Spanish “comino”. 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.

Only recently has cumin started to gain popularity as a spice in this country, but worldwide, it is one of the most consumed spices – right after chiles and pepper. Cumin is more prominent in Indian, Mexican, and Vietnamese cuisine.

History and Cultivation

Cumin has a rich history and was mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as not only a seasoning for bread and soup, but also as a form of currency used to pay tithes to priests. Ancient Egyptians used cumin as a culinary spice, but also in the mummification process of pharaohs.

Cumin was also mentioned in the world's oldest recipe collection, the ancient Mesopotamia Yale Culinary Tablets, which date back to 1750 BC; which was written in what is now parts of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria and Turkey.

The health benefits of cumin were documented by Ancient Greek and Egyptian physicians and cumin was one of the most common plants grown in Medieval monasteries (476-1500 AD).  

During the Middle Ages, cumin was one of the few spices used. In 13th-century England, King Henry III was such a fan of cumin that his kitchen staff would buy 20 pounds of cumin at a time.

Spanish and Portuguese settlers are credited with introducing cumin to America. In the 1600s cumin was being grown in the west, in what is modern day New Mexico, where cumin became a key ingredient in the area's cuisine - often paired with chiles. Food historians believe that Cumin made its first appearance in the White House courtesy of President LBJ's fondness for his favorite Texas style chili - "Pedernales River Chili".

A drought tolerant, tropical, or subtropical crop, cumin grows best in warm, dry climates. Optimum cultivation conditions are long, hot summers (ideal temperature between 77° to 86°F) 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.

Cumin seeds are ready to be harvested when the plant starts to wilt and the seeds change colors from dark green to a brownish yellow. The seeds are harvested by removing the whole plant from the ground. The plant is then laid in thin piles to dry in the sun.

After the initial drying process the cumin seeds are separated from the plant by threshing (beating) the plant with sticks. The seeds are then separated and further dried down to approximately 10% moisture content, either by placing on mats or trays in the sun or, in more humid growing conditions, by using a commercial drier. Dried cumin seeds are winnowed using a traditional winnowing basket that removes the dirt, dust, leaves and twigs.

India has historically produced approximately 70% of worlds total cumin output followed by Syria (15%) and Turkey (5%). But as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East intensified in the early 2000’s, Syria and Turkey are now only producing about 10% of the world's total and India has stepped up to fill the void.

Our Organic Cumin Seeds are cultivated in India.

Cumin, Caraway, Black Cumin and Nigella - Oh My!

Due to its appearance, cumin is often confused with the similar looking Caraway Seed, Carum carvi, but despite their close resemblance the flavor profiles are very different. Caraway seed has a biting, warm sweet flavor that brings to mind anise and dill.   

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.

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

What Does Cumin Taste Like

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

Is Cumin Spicy?

We often get the question "Is cumin spicy?" The answer is - yes it's spicy, but it doesn't have the same kind of spicy heat that chiles or even black pepper possess.

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

Cooking 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 and Carne Asada Marinade.
 
We recommend that cumin be used sparingly, as it is quite potent.

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