Spice
Cumin
Also called cumin seed, ground cumin
The dried seed of Cuminum cyminum, a small ridged crescent that smells dusty in the jar and essential once it hits hot oil. It is not caraway, though they get confused in a dim cupboard.
Origin
An old eastern Mediterranean and South Asian seed, now grown from India and Iran to Mexico and North Africa.
Flavour
Warm, earthy, slightly bitter, with a savoury note people either want in everything or want nowhere near a pudding. Burnt cumin is acrid and ruins a pot.
How to use it
Toast whole seeds in a dry pan until they darken a shade and smell nutty, then grind, or bloom the powder in oil after onion has softened — the usual move for shakshuka, al pastor, hummus and many Indian tadkas. Add powder to cold oil and it can scorch before the onion is ready. A little goes a long way in a tomato sauce; too much tastes of packet chilli powder. If you only have a supermarket 'taco spice', you already have cumin plus paprika and oregano — do not add another heaped spoon on top.
Storage
Whole seeds in an airtight jar last a year or more.
Recipes using it
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