Envoy at 03:52, 13 September 2007

2007-09-13T03:52:52Z

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{{redirect|Geerah|a unit of measurement|Girah}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Cumin
| image = Koeh-198.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Apiales]]
| familia = [[Apiaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Cuminum]]''
| species = '''''C. cyminum'''''
| binomial = ''Cuminum cyminum''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

'''Cumin''' '''''(Cuminum cyminum)''''' (sometimes misspelled '''cummin''') is a [[flowering plant]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Apiaceae]], native from the [[east Mediterranean]] to [[East India]].

It is a [[herbaceous]] [[annual plant]], with a slender branched [[Plant stem|stem]] 20-30 cm tall. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 5-10 cm long, pinnate or bipinnate, thread-like leaflets. The [[flower]]s are small, white or pink, and borne in [[umbel]]s. The [[fruit]] is a laterall fusiform or [[ovoid]] [[achene]] 4-5 mm long, containing a single [[seed]]. Cumin seeds are similar to [[fennel]] seeds, but are smaller and darker in [[colour]].

==Cultivation and uses==
[[Image:Historical CUMIN.jpg|thumb|right|232px]]
Cumin seeds are used as a [[spice]] for their distinctive aroma, popular in [[North African cuisine|North African]], [[Middle East]]ern, western Chinese, [[Indian cuisine|Indian]], [[Cuban cuisine|Cuban]] and [[Mexican cuisine]].

Cumin's distinctive flavour and strong, warm aroma is due to its [[essential oil]] content. Its main constituent and important [[aroma compound]] is [[cuminaldehyde]] (4-isopropylbenzaldehyde). Important aroma compounds of toasted cumin are the [[Substitution (chemistry)|substituted]] [[pyrazine]]s, 2-ethoxy-3-isopropylpyrazine, 2-methoxy-3-''sec''-butylpyrazine, and 2-methoxy-3-methylpyrazine.

Today, cumin is identified with [[Indian cuisine|Indian]] and [[Mexican cuisine]]. It is used as an ingredient of curry powder. Cumin can be found in some [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[cheese]]s like [[Leyden cheese]], and in some traditional [[bread]]s from [[France]]. In [[herbal medicine]], cumin is classified as [[stimulant]], [[carminative]], and [[antimicrobial]].

Cumin can be used to season many dishes, as it draws out their natural sweetnesses. It is traditionally added to curries, enchiladas, tacos, and other Middle-eastern, Indian, Cuban and Mexican-style foods. It can also be added to salsa to give it extra flavour. Cumin has also been used on meat in addition to other common seasonings. The spice is a familiar taste in [[Tex-Mex cuisine|Tex-Mex]] dishes and is the lingua franca of the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Cumin was also used heavily in ancient Roman cuisine.

Cultivation of cumin requires a long, hot summer of 3-4 months, with daytime temperatures around 30°C (86°F); it is drought tolerant, and is mostly grown in [[mediterranean climate]]s. It is grown from seed sown in spring, and needs a fertile, well-drained soil.

Cumin can be boiled in tea to make "cumin cider", first made by native Mexicans and spread throughout South America.

===Description===

Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. The cumin plant grows to 30-50 cm (1-2 ft) tall and is harvested by hand. Cumin is a key component in both [[chili powder]] and [[curry powder]].

===Uses===
The flavour of cumin plays a major role in Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian cuisines. Cumin is a critical ingredient of chili powder, and is found in [[achiote]] blends, [[adobos]], [[garam masala]], [[curry powder]], and [[bahaarat]].

===Origins===
Historically, Iran has been the principal supplier of cumin, but currently the major sources are India, Sri Lanka, Syria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

===Folklore===
Superstition during the Middle Ages cited that cumin kept chickens and lovers from wandering. It was also believed that a happy life awaited the bride and groom who carried cumin seed throughout the wedding ceremony. Cumin is also said to help in treatment of the [[common cold]], when added to hot milk and consumed.

==History==
[[Image:Sa cumin.jpg|thumb|right|232px|Cumin Seeds]]
Cumin has been in use since ancient times. Seeds, excavated at the [[Syria]]n site [[Tell ed-Der]], have been dated to the [[second millennium BC]]. They have also been reported from several [[New Kingdom]] levels of [[ancient Egyptian]] archaeological sites.<ref>Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, ''Domestication of plants in the Old World'', third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), p. 206</ref>

Originally cultivated in Iran and the [[Mediterranean]] region, cumin is mentioned in the [[Bible]] in both the [[Old Testament]] ([[Isaiah]] 28:27) and the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 23:23). It was also known in [[ancient Greece]] and [[ancient Rome|Rome]]. The Greeks kept cumin at the dining table in its own container (much as pepper is frequently kept today), and this practice continues in Morocco. Cumin fell out of favour in [[Europe]] except in [[Spain]] and [[Malta]] during the [[Middle Ages]]. It was introduced to the [[Americas]] by Spanish colonists.

Since returned to favour in parts of Europe, today it is mostly grown in [[Iran]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey]], [[Morocco]], [[Egypt]], [[India]], Syria, [[Mexico]], and [[Chile]].

===Etymology===

The English form is derived from the Latin ''cuminum'' and Greek κύμινον. The Greek term itself seems to have been borrowed from a Semitic source; forms of this word are attested in several ancient Semitic languages, including [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]. The ultimate source seems to be the [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] word ''gamun'' [http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/S161.html].

A [[folk etymology]] connects the word with the [[Iran|Persian]] city [[Kerman]], where, the story goes, most of ancient Persia's cumin was produced. For the Persians the expression "carrying cumin to Kerman" has the same meaning as the [[English language]] phrase "carrying coals to [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]". Kerman, locally called ''Kermun'', would have became ''Kumun'' and then cumin in the European languages.

In [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], cumin is known as ''jeera'' or ''jira''; in [[Iran]] and [[Central Asia]], cumin is known as ''zira''; in northwestern [[mainland China]], cumin is known as ''ziran''.'' In [[Arabic]], it is known as kamuwn, (الكمــــــــون).

==Confusion with other spices==
Cumin is hotter to the taste, lighter in colour, and larger than [[caraway]] (''Carum carvi''), another umbelliferous spice that is sometimes confused with it. Many European languages do not distinquish clearly between the two. For example, in Czech caraway is called 'kmín' while cumin is called 'římský kmín' or "Roman caraway." Some older cookbooks erroneously name ground [[coriander]] as the same spice as ground cumin. <ref>[http://growingtaste.com/herbs/cumin.shtml Growingtaste.com]</ref>

The distantly related ''[[Bunium persicum]]'' and the unrelated ''[[Nigella sativa]]'' are both sometimes called [[black cumin]] (''q.v.'').

In the [[Drake & Josh]] episode "[[List of Drake & Josh episodes|The Affair]]", Drake mistakes Cumin for [[cinnamon]] and ends up putting it on waffles meant for his step-father, Walter, then sees he is allergic to them.

[[Curcumin]] (related to cumin only phonetically) is a chemical constituent of [[turmeric]].

{{nutritionalvalue | name = Cumin seeds | kJ=1567 | protein=17.81 g | fat= 22.27 g | satfat=1.535 g | monofat = 14.04 g | polyfat = 3.279 g | carbs = 44.24 g | sugars=2.25 g | fiber = 10.5 g | thiamin_mg=0.628 | riboflavin_mg=0.327 | niacin_mg=4.579 | folate_ug=10 | vitA_ug = 64 | vitB6_mg=0.435 | vitB12_ug=0 | vitC_mg=7.7 | vitE_mg=3.33 | vitK_ug=5.4 | calcium_mg=931 | iron_mg=66.36 | magnesium_mg=366 | phosphorus_mg=499 | potassium_mg=1788 | sodium_mg=168 | zinc_mg=4.8 | water=8.06 g | source_usda=1 | right=1}}

==Images==
<gallery>
Image:Dry-cumin-seeds.jpg|Dry, whole cumin fruit (or seed)
Image:Cumin-spice.jpg|Whole cumin seeds and ground cumin
</gallery>

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://zhoodles.blogspot.com/2007/09/cumin-minced-lamb-in-pitta.html Recipe using Cumin Powder]

{{cookbook|Cumin}}
{{Herbs & spices}}
[[Category:Apiaceae]]
[[Category:Spices]]

Cumin - Revision history

Envoy at 03:52, 13 September 2007