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Cumin (Cuminum cyminum , pronounced /ˈkjuːmɪn/ or UK: /ˈkʌmɪn/ , US: /ˈkuːmɪn/ , and sometimes spelled cummin ) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to East India.
The English "cumin" derives from the French "cumin", which was borrowed indirectly from Arabic "كمون" Kamm¨±n via Spanish comino during the Arab rule in Spain in the 15th century. The spice is native to Arabic-speaking Syria where cumin thrives in its hot and arid lands. cumin seeds have been found in some ancient Syrian archeological sites. The word found its way from Syria to neighbouring Turkey and nearby Greece most likely before it found its way to Spain. Like many other Arabic words in the English language, cumin was acquired by Western Europe via Spain rather than the Grecian route. Some suggest that the word is derived from the Latin cuminum and Greek κύμινον. The Greek term itself has been borrowed from Arabic. [ citation needed ] Forms of this word are attested in several ancient Semitic languages, including kam¨±nu in Akkadian. [ 2 ] The ultimate source is believed to be the Sumerian word gamun . [ 3 ]
A folk etymology connects the word with the Persian city Kerman where, the story goes, most of ancient Persia's cumin was produced. For the Persians the expression "carrying cumin to Kerman" has the same meaning as the English language phrase "carrying coals to Newcastle". Kerman, locally called "Kermun", would have become "Kumun" and finally "cumin" in the European languages.
In Northern India and Nepal, cumin is known as jeera (Devanagari) or jira , while in Iran and Afghanistan it is known as zeera (Persian in Southern India it is called "Jeerakam" in Malayalam and Jeerige (Kannada)) or jeeragam or seeragam (Tamil ) or jilakarra (Telugu); in Sri Lanka it is known as duru , the white variety being suduru and the large variety, maduru ; in Iran and Central Asia, cumin is known as zireh ; in Turkey, cumin is known as kimyon ; in northwestern China, cumin is known as ziran . In Arabic, it is known as al-kamuwn . Cumin is called kemun in Ethiopian, and is one of the ingredients in the spice mix berbere
Description
Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum , a member of the parsley family. The cumin plant grows to 30–50 cm (1–2 ft) tall and is harvested by hand.
It is an herbaceous annual plant, with a slender branched stem 20–30 cm tall. The leaves are 5–10 cm long, pinnate or bipinnate, thread-like leaflets. The flowers are small, white or pink, and borne in umbels. The fruit is a lateral fusiform or ovoid achene 4–5 mm long, containing a single seed. Cumin seeds are similar to fennel and anise seeds in appearance, but are smaller and darker in color.
Cumin seeds resemble caraway seeds, being oblong in shape, longitudinally ridged, and yellow-brown in color, like other members of the Umbelliferae family such as caraway, parsley and dill.
Cumin has been in use since ancient times. Seeds, excavated at the Syrian site Tell ed-Der, have been dated to the second millennium BC. They have also been reported from several New Kingdom levels of ancient Egyptian archaeological sites. [ 4 ]
Originally cultivated in Iran and Mediterranean region, cumin is mentioned in the Bible in both the Old Testament (Isaiah 28:27) and the New Testament (Matthew 23:23). It was also known in ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks kept cumin at the dining table in its own container (much as pepper is frequently kept today), and this practice continues in Morocco. Cumin fell out of favour in Europe except in Spain and Malta during the Middle Ages. It was introduced to the Americas by Spanish colonists.
Since returned to favour in parts of Europe, today it is mostly grown in Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, India, Syria, Mexico, and Chile.
Superstition during the Middle Ages cited that cumin kept chickens and lovers from wandering. It was also believed that a happy life awaited the bride and groom who carried cumin seed throughout the wedding ceremony.