Indian Name: Zeera
Scientific Name: Cuminum cyminum
Fam Umbelliferae

Other Names

Anise Acre, Cumin Acre, Cummin, Sweet Cumin

French: cumin
German: Kreuzkümmel, Romische Kümmel
Italian: cumino Spanish: comino
Arabic: kammun, kemouyn
Indian: jeera, jeraka, jira, zeera, zira, sufaid…, safed…(white), kala…(black), kalonji(cf Nigella)
Indonesian: (d)jinten
Malay: jintan puteh
Sinhalese: cheeregum, jeera, su(du)duru
Tamil: cheeregum

Cumin is an ancient spice grown in Egypt and the Middle East. It has been found in 4,000-year-old excavations in Syria and in ancient Egypt, where it was used both as a spice and as an element in preserving mummies. It appears in the Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Since ancient times, cumin has been used extensively in India as well as by the Greeks and Romans. It made its way into Mexican and South American cuisine after European colonization, brought by the Spanish and Portuguese.

Cumin seeds are harvested by hand from an annual plant; they are small, boat-shaped, and resemble caraway seeds. The most common variety of cumin is a brownish-yellow color, although you can also sometimes find black cumin, green cumin, and white cumin. You will find whole seeds in Indian recipes (also called jeera) and ground cumin as an ingredient in Mexican and Middle Eastern dishes, as well as chili, barbecue sauce, baked beans, soups, and marinades.

Cumin is a typical ingredient in chili powder and is also often found in other spice blends such as garam masala, curry powder, achiote blends, adobos, berbere, and bahaarat.

The seeds should be lightly roasted before being used whole or ground to bring out the aroma. Cumin may also be pounded with other spices in mixtures such as curry powder. Ground cumin must be kept airtight, to retain its pungency. This spice should be used with restraint – it can exclude all the other flavours in a dish. Less than a teaspoon of it will flavour a meal for four.