Caraway Seed

Caraway Seed, the dominant flavor in rye bread, is often overlooked in today’s kitchens. But give this spice a chance! Spend a moment with its aroma, and you’ll get a deeply earthy, woodsy smell. Stay with the Caraway Seed a little longer and a warm, almost buttery sort of note flitters around the edges of the aroma. When you take a taste, the initial flavor is sharp and almost soapy, with a vaporous, camphor element with sparks of citrus, pepper, and licorice. It fades into a pleasant peppery bitterness that lingers, thanks to the volatile oil content. Our Caraway Seed has a minimum of 1% volatile oil and can go as high as 7%, but generally ranges between 3-5% by weight.

Some food historians believe that Caraway Seed may be one of the first spices ever used in the Europe; Caraway seeds have been found in archaeological digs of ancient lake dwellings in Switzerland dating back to 6000 BC. The first written records mentioning Caraway Seeds are in the Egyptian medical papyrus dating back to 1552 BC. These ancient Egyptian texts provide insight into the medical practices and procedures and of ancient Egypt. They even offer details on disease, diagnosis, and treatments of disease, including herbal remedies, magic spells and surgery. Julius Caesar's (100-44 BC) army ate a bread made of caraway root. In the Middle Ages (400-1400 AD) caraway was being grown as far south as the Nile valley countries of Egypt and Sudan and as far north as Scandinavia.

Tips From Our Kitchen

Dry toast Caraway Seeds in a pan to pull out the full flavor of the volatile oils. The camphor-like flavor of Caraway Seeds add a bracing contrast to fatty foods like duck or pork shoulder, and are a great topper for mild, soft cheeses, like muenster. They are a must with strong foods like cabbage, and add a biting spark to sauerkraut’s funk. Caraway Seeds are wonderful with baked apples. They are famous in rye bread, but are a welcome addition to Irish soda bread, too. Garnish braised carrots and parsnips with Caraway Seeds. They should be added later in the cooking process, since too much prolonged heat can turn them bitter. We also offer Ground Caraway Seed as an option for our customers.

Our Caraway Seed is grown in Canada, Egypt or Finland, depending on the time of the year.

This product is certified kosher.

Hungry for more information?

A Guide to Herbs and Cheese
The Best Fruit and Vegetable Seasonings
Which Spices Do You Grind?
The Caraway Seed is a Spice Worth Meeting