Cumin seeds, Shelf Life :1 Year

Description

Cumin is the dried, white fruit with greyish brown colour of a small slender annual herb. The surface of the fruit has 5 primary ridges, alternatively has 4 less distinct secondary ridges bearing numerous short hairs. The plant is 15 to 50 cm high. The aromatic seed like fruit is elongated, ovoid, 3 to 6 mm long, slightly bitter and has a warm flavour. The flowers are white or rose coloured in small umbels.

Origin and Distribution

Cumin is indigenous to Northern Egypt, Syria, the Mediterranean region, Iran and India. It is also cultivated in Mexico, China, Sicily and Malta. Cumin is a tropical plant and is cultivated as a rabi crop in areas where atmospheric humidity during February-March is low.

Uses

Cumin seed have an aromatic odour and bitter taste. It is used as a condiment, and is an ingredient in curry powders, seasonings of breads, cakes and cheese. It is employed in native dishes of Central and South America. In medicine, it is used as a stimulant, carminative, stomachic and astringent. Cumin seed oil is used in perfumery and for flavouring liqueurs and cordials.
Botanical name Family name Commercial part
Cuminum cyminum L. Apiaceae Fruit

Indian Names

• Hindi: Jira, Jeera, Zira or Safaid jeera Or Zeera
• Bengali : Safaid jira or Zeera
• Gujarati: Jiru or Jeeru
• Kannada : Jeeriege
• Kashmiri: Zyur
• Malayalam: Jeerakam
• Marathi: Jeregire
• Oriya: Jira, Jeera
• Sindhi: Zero
• Sanskrit: Jiraka, Jira
• Tamil : Ziragum or Jeeragam
• Telugu : Jidakara, Jikaka

Name in international languages

• Spanish : Comino
• French : Cumin
• German : Romischer Kummel
• Swedish : Spiskummin
• Arabic : Kammun
• Dutch : Komijn
• Italian : Comino
• Portuguese: Cominho
• Russian : Kmin
• Chinese : Machin