The Versatile Cumin Spice - Great For Your Recipes and Healthy With It!

I don't think I've eaten a curry that hasn't contained cumin spice in one form or another. Whether it's the whole seeds or a teaspoon or two of ground powder added whilst cooking... 

...Or the seeds toasted and ground to make mixes and blends like curry powders and garam masala, this versatile ingredient always gets in there one way or another!

Culinary Uses For Cumin Spice

Native to the Mediterranean and upper Egypt, the cumin plant and its seeds make an important contribution to many cuisines worldwide. More info on the plant.

These highly flavoured seeds are popular in cuisines ranging from Mexico to India, through to countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

In Mexican cooking it's widely used in meaty dishes such as chili con carne and in India it's an integral part of a lot of curry dishes.

Ground and Whole, Black and White

Not only is ground cumin a vital ingredient in many curry powder and masala blends, it's also used a lot in the well known Arabic spice mix baharat and the North African blend ras el hanout.

In most of these blends, it's generally the white or amber seed that's used...

...But in some more "exotic" blends of Persia and Northern India, it's the black seeds that are used.

These black cumin seeds (Bunium persicum) are more gently flavoured than the heavily spiced white/amber seeds, and therefore are well suited to lighter creamy korma dishes.

Read more about the black variety.

However you use it, especially for your homemade blends, I highly recommend lightly toasting your seeds before grinding. This draws out the intense flavours and aromas massively! 

Some Health Benefits of Cumin Spice...

Not only are the seeds, whole and ground, an important part of a lot of cuisines worldwide, they also have health and well-being uses...

• Cumin combined with banana is said to be an effective cure for insomnia

• Drink a tea made from the spice to remedy an upset stomach

• It's a rich source of iron

• And a traditional remedy for colds

Click to read more on the medicinal, well-being and other cumin health benefits. 

Image Links to Other Spices You May Enjoy

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