Description

Caraway of commerce is the fruit of a biennial herb. The plant has a fleshy root and slender branched stem that attains a height of 0.5 to 0.6 mtrs, with small white flowers in compound umbels. The fruit when ripened splits into narrow elongated carpel, 4 to 6.5mm long, curved, pointed at ends with 5 longitudinal ridges on the surface. The dried fruit is brown in colour has pleasant odour is with sharp taste. Seeds are hard and sharp to touch.

Origin and Distribution

It is a native of North and Central Europe and is extensively cultivated in Holland, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Rumania, Syria, Morocco, and to a small extent in England, and US. It is cultivated as a cold season crop in the hills of Kashmir and Kumaon at an altitude of above 2750 MSL.

Uses

Caraway is widely used as a spice for culinary purposes and for flavouring bread, biscuits, cakes and cheese. It is also used for seasoning sausages and as medicine.

Botanical name Family name Commercial part
Carum carvi Apiaceae Fruit

Indian Names

• Hindi : Siya zira or Shia zira
  Bengali : Jira or Zira
  Kannada : Shime jeerige
  Kashmiri: Gunyun
  Malayalam: Shima jirakam
  Marathi : Vilaiti zirah
  Sindhi : Kalu Duru
  Punjabi : Zira-siah
  Sanskrit: Sushavi
  Tamil : Shimai shambu
  Telugu : Sima jirakai

Name in international languages

• Arabic : Karaway
  Dutch : Karwif
  French : Grainsde Carvi
  Chinese : Fang Feng
  Greek : Karo
  Italian : Caro

Description

Caraway of commerce is the fruit of a biennial herb. The plant has a fleshy root and slender branched stem that attains a height of 0.5 to 0.6 mtrs, with small white flowers in compound umbels. The fruit when ripened splits into narrow elongated carpel, 4 to 6.5mm long, curved, pointed at ends with 5 longitudinal ridges on the surface. The dried fruit is brown in colour has pleasant odour is with sharp taste. Seeds are hard and sharp to touch.

Origin and Distribution

It is a native of North and Central Europe and is extensively cultivated in Holland, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Rumania, Syria, Morocco, and to a small extent in England, and US. It is cultivated as a cold season crop in the hills of Kashmir and Kumaon at an altitude of above 2750 MSL.

Uses

Caraway is widely used as a spice for culinary purposes and for flavouring bread, biscuits, cakes and cheese. It is also used for seasoning sausages and as medicine.

Botanical name Family name Commercial part
Carum carvi Apiaceae Fruit

Indian Names

• Hindi : Siya zira or Shia zira
  Bengali : Jira or Zira
  Kannada : Shime jeerige
  Kashmiri: Gunyun
  Malayalam: Shima jirakam
  Marathi : Vilaiti zirah
  Sindhi : Kalu Duru
  Punjabi : Zira-siah
  Sanskrit: Sushavi
  Tamil : Shimai shambu
  Telugu : Sima jirakai

Name in international languages

• Arabic : Karaway
  Dutch : Karwif
  French : Grainsde Carvi
  Chinese : Fang Feng
  Greek : Karo
  Italian : Caro