Description:
In India, cumin has been used for millennia as a traditionalingredient of innumerable kormas, masalas & GraviesCumin seeds are used as a spice fortheir distinctive flavor and aroma. It is globally popular and anessential flavoring in many cuisines, particularly South Asian,Northern African and Latin American cuisines. Cumin can be found insome cheeses, such asLeyden cheese, and in some traditionalbreads from France. It is commonly used intraditional Brazilian cuisine. Cumin can be an ingredientin chilipowder (often Tex-Mex or Mexican-style), and isfound in achiote blends, adobos, sofrito, garam masala, currypowder, and bahaarat.
Cumin can be used ground or as wholeseeds. It helps to add an earthy and warming feeling to food,making it a staple in certain stews and soups, as well as spicedgravies such as chili. It is also used as an ingredient in somepickles and pastries.
Although cumin seeds contain arelatively large percentage of iron, extremely large quantities ofcumin would need to be consumed for it to serve as a significantdietary source (see nutrition data).
According to the USDA, one tablespoonof cumin spice contains:
- Calories (kcal): 22
- Fat(g): 1.34
- Carbohydrates (g): 2.63
- Fiber (g): 0.6
- Protein (g): 1.07
Cumin has been in use since ancienttimes. Seeds excavated at the Indian site have been dated tothe second millennium BC. They have also been reported fromseveral New Kingdom levelsof ancient Egyptian archaeologicalsites.
Originally cultivatedin Iran and the Mediterranean region,[citation needed] cuminis mentioned in the Bible in both the OldTestament (Isaiah 28:27) andthe NewTestament (Matthew23:23).The ancient Greeks kept cumin at the dining table in its owncontainer (much as pepper is frequently kept today), and thispractice continues in Morocco. Cumin was also used heavilyin ancient Roman cuisine. It was introduced to the Americas by Spanish andPortuguese colonists. There are several different types of cuminbut the most famous ones are black and green cumin which are bothused in Persian cuisine.
Today, the plant is mostly grownin China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Mexico, Chile andIndia. Since cumin is often used as part of birdseed and exported to manycountries, the plant can occur as a rare casual in many territoriesincluding Britain. Cumin occurs as a rare casual inthe British Isles, mainlyin Southern England; but the frequency ofits occurrence has declined greatly. According to the BotanicalSociety of the British Isles'' most recent Atlas, only one recordhas been confirmed since 2000.
In India, cumin has been used formillennia as a traditional ingredient ofinnumerable kormas, masalas, soups andother spiced gravies.
