Cumin

Scientific Name(S): Cuminum cyminum L. also referred to as C. odorum Salisb. Family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

Common Name(S): Cumin, cummin

Cumin (pronounced "comein") is the pale green seed of Cuminum cyminum, a small herb in the parsley family. The seed is uniformly eliptical and deeply furrowed.

It is a herbaceous annual plant, with a slender branched stem 20-30 cm tall. The leaves are 5-10 cm long, pinnate or bipinnate, with thread-like leaflets. The flowers are small, white or pink, and borne in umbels. The fruit is a laterally compressed 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.

Botany: This small annual plant is native to the Mediterranean region where it is cultivated extensively. The cumin seed is widely used in cooking. The dried seeds resemble those of caraway, but are straighter in form and have a coarser taste and odor than caraway seeds. Major cumin seed producers include Egypt, Iran, India and Morocco. The United States is among the largest producers of cumin oil. This spice should not be confused with sweet cumin, which is a common name for anise (Pimpinella anisum). Black cumin (Bunium persicum) has smaller and sweeter seeds than C. cyminum, but is not commercially important. Another black cumin (Nigella sativa) is not related to cumin.

History: Cumin is a major component of curry and chilir powders and has been used to flavor a variety of commercial food products. The oil, which is derived by steam distillation, is used to flavor alcoholic beverages, desserts and condiments, and has been used as a fragrant component of creams, lotions and perfumes.

Uses of Cumin

The seeds are used in cooking. The oil flavors food and scents cosmetics. Components may have antioxidant, anticancer, larvicidal and antibacterial effects.

Side Effects of Cumin

The oil may have photosensitizing effects.

Toxicology: Cumin is generally recognized as safe for human consumption as a spice and flavoring. Cumin oil components appear to be absorbed rapidly through shaved intact abdominal mouse skin and undiluted cumin oil has phototoxic effects that are not related to cuminaldehyde, but to another photosensitizing component.

Summary: Cumin, a widely used spice, is a major ingredient in curry and chilies. Its aromatic fragrance makes it valuable in cooking and perfumery.