Cumin

Data sheet

Name: white cumin, cumin or even furrow
Characteristic of growth:

Mediterranean and sunny climate with not very wet but rich ground
annual plant of 30 Cm with thread-like sheets
the harvest of seeds is made when the thimbles are brown

Forme of the plant: Ombellifère (Dicotylédone)
Characteristic of the fruit:

appears in even form on the branches
length of 3-6 mm
the reason on the fruit contains nine ridules and channels with oil, with a tuft of hair and oblong form with lengthened ends
are sold in the form of dry fruits
color: brown-yellow

Composition of seed:

2.5-4% of essential oil
25-35% para-isopropyl-benzaldéhyde (aldehyde of cumin)
21% alpha and beta-pinene
aldehyde of périlla, alcohol of cumin
dipentene, para-cymene, beta-phellandrene

History

Cumin is probably originating in the Mediterranean basin in the valley of the the Nile or in the minor Asia since one can recall in Egypt his use at least five thousand years ago. Among Egyptians, cumin had medicinal virtues. Moreover, the ic tombs Pharaon were strewn with seeds of cumin by the Pharaonic family members. Hebrew even used this seed as means of dîme in the churches. According to old writings the such Bible, cumin was used as currency of exchange to pay debts, they describe also the beating of cumin to the plague. With the the Middle Ages, the serfs used it like currency of exchange to free itself. In this time, the mets with principal cumin was the Poisson. According to Pline, it makes it possible to open the appetite.

In the Ancient Rome, this plant was very invaluable and setting under guard. It belonged to spices sought by the explorers during their explorations towards India and the North America to sow some in the royal gardens. India was the theater of the harems where the women took drugs while smoking of the cardamome, of the cloves and the green grains of cumin. Thereafter, cumin, still taken as a drug was placed in a sheet of gold or money folded up and placed under the cheek in order to mix this spice with saliva. Always in India, the merchants offered grains of cumin to be nibbled while the customers looked at the goods offered. Even in Germany, cumin was used as pledge of fidelity and symbol to prove its honesty with its been engaged.

Beliefs

With the Middle Ages, a small sachet of seeds on oneself protected from the bad fate and the witches.
In the Antiquity, cumin was used to the doctors and for the wizards of the Egyptian villages and Greek, because it entered the composition of drugs to introduce.
In the Piedmont, with the abstention from been engaged, to ensure its fidelity, it was to drink a wine with pulverized cumin and to eat bread with cumin.
This spice taken out of aperitif had an effect alleviating against the digestive disorders, the Colique S and the distensions.
cumin was always associated with avarice because it was the spice of the rich person. The name of Marc Aurélius even was some times replaced by Cuminus.

Source and utility

Plant ombellifère Eastern Europe. Now, it is more regularly imported Morocco, Iran, north of the Africa, China and America S and the important market is located in Central Europe. The consumable portion of the plant is the seed which is beforehand dried and/or pulverized to make a spice of it. It is also possible to obtain essential oils by distillation from them (proceeded chemical consisting in extracting from the made up liquids of a plant).

Cumin uses the composition of very different aromatics like the Cari, the Chile and the Garam masala (mixture of traditional spices of the north of India) but it is to be added moderately to the prepared dishes because it is strong in great amount. It can easily replace the Carvi in certain mets and there remains the essential component of the clothes industry of the powder of Massalé. Other interesting uses are the presence of cumin in the gouda and the Edam. Through the ages, the Soup S, the bread, the Poultry and the Poisson were cominés , principle which consisted to incorporate or whitewash these dishes of cumin. Other ideas of dishes in which cumin can be added are the tajines of the Morocco, the merguezes and the Short-nap cloth-el-hanout . In Central America, the gaspacho and empanadas.

Even the island of the Réunion is famous to add it to its mets, without however making it push directly on the island.

The perfumes, since it enters their composition in the form of oil, make them also part of the market of cumin.

To go further

Toil' of spices - cumin

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