Cumin

How to use cumin in your cooking?

An essential of Middle Eastern cuisine, cumin is a spice that will add flavor to your dishes and decorate your plates!

Some suggestions for using cumin

Cumin is a component of many spice blends, such as curry or raz el hanout. It can therefore be used alone or in combination with other spices like turmeric, anise, or even cinnamon. Its strong flavors will enhance fish, marinades, vegetables, and even your cheeses, especially gouda and edam. Let yourself be charmed by the harmonious pairing of cumin with cabbage or carrot. Cumin also pairs wonderfully with grilled meat and white meat, and will bring a touch of character to your sauces and marinades. It will give a tone to a chili con carne, sauerkraut, lamb shepherd's pie, and surprise in an orange salad, or in the traditional hummus.

Here are our recipe ideas for using cumin on your plates:

• - Vegetable tagliatelle with cumin and curry: after sautéing the onion, add 1 tablespoon of curry and 2 teaspoons of cumin, then mix before adding the vegetable tagliatelle;
• - Carrot velouté with cumin: during the cooking of carrots with potatoes, add ½ teaspoon of cumin to the pot, then cook for 20 minutes;
• - Stuffed tomatoes with veal and cumin: add to the meat and other stuffing ingredients, 1 tablespoon of cumin;
• - Individual quiches with carrots, coconut milk, and cumin: in the quiche mix, add 1 teaspoon of cumin;
• - Cumin tea: in boiling water, add 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds and let infuse;
• - Homemade curry: click here to discover our homemade curry recipe.

The strong flavors of cumin

On the palate, cumin has intense and spicy aromas. Its flavor is both bitter and warm, slightly sweet, and its aroma is very assertive. Its use should be subtle as its notes could dominate the flavors of your preparations.

What is cumin?

Cumin goes by the botanical name Cuminum cyminum, belonging to the Apiaceae family, just like parsley. Mainly cultivated in the Mediterranean basin, cumin was considered a spice for smoking or for flavoring dishes. The seed of cumin is actually the fruit of the plant, the only edible part. The stems and bunches are cut before maturity. They are then hung for a few days, then beaten like wheat, and the harvested fruits are dried in the sun.

What are the origins of cumin?

Sometimes used as a smoking spice, cumin was originally used for the mummification of pharaohs in Egypt. It held an important place in the kitchens of the Middle East, as a spice, to enhance or decorate dishes. The Bible mentions cumin as an ingredient in soups and bread. So, its use dates back many years! Also known for its medicinal properties, cumin was once used to treat digestive disorders.