Cumin Seed

With its distinctive fragrance, cumin seed is an essential spice to have in your kitchen. In fact, it is the second most popular spice on the planet, after black pepper. As such, cumin seed is used in a large variety of the world’s cuisines, including in South Asia, the Middle East, Uzbekistan, Western China, Cuba, northern Mexico, and Brazil. Cumin seed is even used in cheeses from the Netherlands and in some French breads.

From a book on Natural Extracts, the author describes cumin:

Cumin is a native of Egypt and Syria, but is now grown in Southeastern Europe, North Africa, India, and China. Cumin seeds are commonly used in every household in India. Cumin oil is a rich source of thymol. The key active ingredient of this oil is cuminaldehyde, which can be readily converted to thymol by chemical reduction. The cumin oil containing about 16 to 22% cuminaldehyde shows antimicrobial and antifungal activity.

In part due to its antimicrobial and antifungal activity, it may have some health benefits as well:

It cures hoarseness of voice, piles, dyspepsia and diarrhea, jaundice, insomnia, even debility due to fever. It also improves appetite and energy. It is very useful in the treatment of colds and fevers. Thymol is used as a curative against hook worm infections and as an antiseptic agent making it a part of many formulations.

Cumin Seed in Cooking

Where would we be without cumin? It is a core seasoning in Mexican food as well as Indian, Caribbean, North African, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern. This means not many cuisines are left out of the cumin seed loop. In most of the ethnic dishes the cumin has been toasted and ground to a powder leaving no visual footprint. Even the flavor is background, subtle, but try a curry powder or chili powder without cumin and you will understand the power of this humble seasoning.

For the maximum flavor from your cumin seed, toast it just before use or at the beginning of assembling a dish. In India cumin is often fried in the oil in the first stage of putting a dish together. The flavor of the cumin is matured and somewhat released into the oil for an experience to be gotten in no other way. A good Mexican cook would not dream of buying cumin powder. No way! You buy cumin seed, toast and grind with a mortar and pestle, known as a molcajete as you need it. Granted, this process requires a little more effort of you in the kitchen, but the results are way worth it.

There is black cumin seed as compared to the more readily available brown cumin seed. It is smaller and sweeter than the brown seed. It is also hard to find and pretty pricey when you do. The black cumin is popular in India for use in baking and in yogurt drinks. In North African and Middle Eastern cooking the black cumin is often used in tagine, sausages, ground meat dishes and lamb roasts.

Antioxidant Capacity of Cumin Seeds

Cumin seed is an antioxidant. Antioxidants destroy free radicals in your body, precursors to cancerous cells. Antioxidant foods are seen as a key in cancer prevention and cumin seed is among them.

In 2010, the USDA released a database of the antioxidant activity of foods, specifically the “Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity” or “ORAC” value. Some spices were particularly high. The ORAC value for ground cinnamon is 131,420 and for whole cloves is 290,283. These are exceptionally high values. The ORAC value for cumin seed is reported as 50,372, curry powder is reported as 48,504.

Cumin seed does have good antioxidant activity. When combined with other spices typical in the Indian diet — cinnamon, cloves, and curry — these spices can provide powerful antioxidant activity to the diet.

Nutrients in Cumin Seeds

Cumin seed is a low calorie spice with only about seven calories per teaspoon. Cumin seed is also a source of minerals according to the USDA nutrient database. A teaspoon of cumin seed contains about seven percent of the daily iron requirement and about three percent of the daily manganese requirement. The graph at right displays the mineral content for 100 grams which is about a dozen teaspoons. You will not consume anywhere near that quantity of cumin seed. Because of the small quantities we tend to eat, cumin seed is not likely to contribute in a strong way to our nutrition. Even so, cumin seed can add small amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium to your diet, chipping away at any iron deficiency you might have.

Cumin seed also provides a bit of B vitamins, particularly thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, and riboflavin. (See the graph below). B vitamins support a healthy brain and help maintain your energy. One of the best sources of B vitamins include beef which goes well with cumin seed seasoning, a great B-vitamin combination.

Cumin seed also has a small amount of vitamins A, C, E, and K.

Cumin Seed: Fresh Versus Ground

Whether you use the whole seed or ground cumin will depend on your recipe, but some people do choose to buy the whole cumin seed and grind it fresh in their own kitchen. Whole cumin seed stays fresh for years. Grinding it fresh in your kitchen will give you the most potent flavor if you are using cumin seed ground in your recipes. We recommend that you buy whole cumin seed to have on hand when your recipe calls for the whole cumin seed but also keep a small amount ground fresh for convenience.

Cumin Seed: Planting or Buying

Cumin seed is well known to the Bible and to folklore. The seeds are sold by seed collectors and other Internet vendors. Cumin is an annual plant, grown for its fruit or seed which is used much as caraway seed in bread-making, flavoring, confectionery and liquor making, being aerobatic and slightly peppery in flavor. Cumin seed is used in much the same way as caraway and coriander in baking.

Cumin seed is particularly distinct in Indian foods, particularly curries. It has a distinct orange hue in the foods and sauces and an equally distinct flavor. It is also commonly used in recipes in Thailand, Indonesia, and Mexico. Most cumin seed available in the United States today comes from India.

If you are planting cumin seed yourself, it does prefer warm soil that is well-drained. The rows should be about a foot apart. The cumin seeds should be planted 1/2 inch to 1 inch deep. Sow the seeds when the frost is past, about June 1 or when the frost is over in your area. Thinning the plants is scarcely necessary but do so if it appears that it is necessary. Pick the seed when ripe. You will know when it is ripe when the flower has passed its prime and has started to drop seed. At that point, you may harvest the stems of the plant and place them on a tray or a sheet to dry further. When they have dried for several more days, you can shake them gently over the try to encourage the seeds to fall out. Collect the cumin seeds from the tray and put them into a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store the jar in a cool, dark place to maintain the freshness of your cumin.

The cumin plant is tender and the cumin seeds are furrowed and rather long. They are light brown in color and add a distinct flavor to any cooking.

Buy Cumin Seed in Bulk for the Best Price

We save money by buying cumin seed in bulk. We know a great vendor that sells certified organic cumin seed in bulk at very low prices (Click here and scroll down). You can buy it in 4 oz., 8 oz., and 1 lb. sizes. If you purchase more than five pounds, you will get even greater discounts.

You will be amazed by the savings when you buy certified organic cumin seed in bulk. (Click here and scroll down, note the 60-day return guarantee and purchase options via the Internet, phone, mail, or fax.)

Cumin Seed Price Comparison

Many other vendors sell certified organic cumin seed, but at higher prices. Check out our information on buying cumin seed for a variety of buying options.

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The information on this website is for educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.