Belongs to the parsley family. Egypt is also considered the birthplace of this plant. In Europe, this spice was undeservedly forgotten, but recently the demand for it on the world market has increased significantly. It's quite simple to explain. This happened partly due to the increased interest in Oriental cuisine, and partly due to the benefits of this spice for the health of the human body. In its aroma and taste, cumin resembles the well-known cumin. The spice is slightly bitter. It contains notes of nutty flavor.

Zira - what is it for cooking? The seeds, used both crushed and whole, go perfectly with a variety of meat dishes. It is very difficult to imagine the famous oriental pilaf without them. The aromatic spice is included in marinades intended for meat. Shish kebab made from this product has a unique and very pleasant taste.

Zira - what is it? These are the seeds that are included in the spicy mixture called “Garam Masala”. The seasoning is added to curry and chili sauces. Armenian cooks add crushed seeds to minced meat intended for preparing a special variety (sujukh). In the East, no one can do without cumin. The aromatic spice is used when baking bakery and confectionery products. It is also added to fermented milk products. The cumin spice gives a special spicy taste to fish and potato soups, vegetable salads and pork dishes. It makes the aroma of salted and pickled cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes and sauerkraut more interesting.

Zira - what is it for human health? The benefits of the plant in this aspect are enormous. Jeera seeds help reduce blood viscosity. Thus, they are a prophylactic agent that prevents the formation of blood clots and, as a consequence, the occurrence of ischemic strokes, as well as myocardial infarction. The benefit of the spice lies in its ability to normalize the functioning of the digestive tract and improve appetite. When consumed, fried and fatty foods are better absorbed. An indispensable spice for flatulence, intestinal colic and dyspepsia. Eating cumin seeds regularly improves brain function and vision.

Nutritionists often include the aromatic spice in various teas intended for weight loss. The spice has a rich taste. In this regard, dishes that include spices in their recipes quickly make you feel full. This, in turn, helps to significantly reduce the amount of food consumed. Zira is used for weight loss due to its stimulating effect on intestinal motility and the ability to remove excess fluid from the body. It’s not difficult to brew a drink that will certainly help you get rid of extra pounds. A couple of teaspoons of cumin should be thrown into a thermos with green tea. It is recommended to drink the drink after meals or in between meals.

It is worth remembering that the use of any spices should not be excessive. This also applies to cumin. The spice can cause harm to the stomach or duodenum (ulcers occur when consuming a large amount of the spice). The appearance of other pathologies is also possible. Eating spicy foods that include cumin in the recipe can cause heartburn or inflammation of the stomach lining.

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than cooking for yourself))

Content

Kmin or cumin is a spice with a light nutty aroma, rich in macroelements and essential oils. The unique spice is used in cosmetology and alternative medicine, added to baked goods, meat, drinks, fermented milk products and marinades. There is even something mystical in kmina - it is not for nothing that in some places in the East newlyweds do not part with its seeds on their wedding day so that the marriage is happy. A seasoning with an original spicy taste will make boring dishes delicious and help avoid health problems if you know how to choose, store and use it correctly.

What is jeera

The one- or two-year-old cumin plant is a close relative of coriander, anise and dill, as can be seen from the inflorescences that gather in characteristic umbrellas. Reaches a height of about 30 cm, has thin thread-like leaves, bright red or snow-white flowers. Kmina seeds are large, oblong, have a strong aroma and taste, and quickly fall off after ripening. Central Asia is considered the birthplace of the famous Indian spice, but today it is cultivated in neighboring Southeast and Central Asia, North Africa, Iran, Latin America and the Mediterranean.

Composition and calorie content

The energy value of cumin is 375 kcal per 100 g of product, but even athletes watching their weight and carbohydrate intake should not be afraid of the high calorie content of the spice. A tablespoon contains approximately 15 g of seasoning, a teaspoon - only 6. Kmin mainly consists of water and dietary fiber, which improve intestinal microflora and reduce cholesterol levels. “Roman cumin” contains macroelements necessary for the normal functioning of the body - calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc.

Useful properties

Kmin is an oriental seasoning, a gourmet find and a storehouse of all kinds of macroelements. Even the works of Hippocrates speak about the properties and benefits of this spice. The use of cumin seeds is recommended for problems with digestion, the nervous or cardiovascular system, and the respiratory tract. The spice is also added to food for overweight, nausea during pregnancy, diabetes, and is prescribed for cancer prevention. Indian seasoning enriches the taste and aroma of any dish and has a beneficial effect on a person’s well-being, appearance, and health:

  • Reduces the risk of heart attack.
  • Has a calming effect on the nervous system. Recommended for insomnia, chronic fatigue, apathy, nervous exhaustion, stress.
  • Has a diuretic effect.
  • Improves vision.
  • Stimulates brain function.
  • It has a tonic effect, antioxidant and deodorizing properties.
  • Prescribed for anemia or anemia, it has a positive effect on the condition of the blood.
  • Is an aphrodisiac.
  • Prevents the formation of blood clots.
  • Normalizes appetite, improves digestion and metabolism.
  • Reduces headaches.

Regardless of the variety, cumin seeds resemble cumin in appearance, but have a different aroma and taste that is enhanced when roasted or crushed in warm hands. They are straight or slightly arched, have longitudinal ribs, and are up to 5 mm long. Kmin is introduced into the diet if there is a predisposition to the formation of cancerous tumors due to heredity or working conditions. It is advisable to grind this spice into powder immediately before adding it to a dish or making lotions for wounds, compresses, and other preparations for external use.

Varieties

Each variety of cumin has a special taste, color, and smell. Persian kmin are large seeds with a yellow-greenish tint; they are fried before adding to the dish. Dark Kirman kmin does not need heat treatment; it is small, with a pungent aroma and concentrated taste. Less common are Syriac and Nabatean; these spices are bought in gathering places as a souvenir from an exotic corner of the planet. The spice bunium is famous, but rarely found due to its narcotic properties.

Application

Kmin is recognized not only in alternative, but also in official medicine, which treats all kinds of herbs and roots with great distrust. For example, in dentistry they use the substance contained in its seeds - thymol. This extremely useful spice is used in cosmetology, cooking, and home medicine cabinets. The spice is added to food as a secret ingredient in signature dishes to enhance their taste and aroma. Zira is health, beauty, pleasure from food, but it is important to know how to properly use this unique seasoning:

  • By adding two teaspoons of spice to a glass of boiling water, prepare a drink with a mild laxative, diuretic effect. A decoction of the seeds will help people who adhere to a strict diet, are forced to give up certain dishes and have problems with stool because of this.
  • Black cumin is added to hot drinks to alleviate pelvic inflammatory processes that occur in women in labor.
  • A weak decoction with an unobtrusive aroma of spices is given to children with colic.
  • Kmina seeds are added to kefir, fermented baked milk, kumiss, and other fermented milk products, drinks and dishes to not only add an interesting taste and aroma of spices, but also to avoid bloating.
  • Crushed cumin seeds are applied to cuts, abrasions, and other injuries. Thanks to its healing, soothing effect, the seasoning promotes tissue restoration.
  • Masks, viscous pastes based on spices, are applied to the skin to whiten, remove age spots, and freckles.
  • When used externally, the seasoning helps fight acne and rashes. Crushed seeds soothe enlarged pores, normalize secretion, and prevent excessive sebum secretion.
  • The spice is mixed with olive oil, added to the diet for problems with the spleen, and prescribed for the prevention of kidney disease.
  • A low concentration decoction is recommended for women during lactation - when breastfeeding. Water is boiled, mixed with ground seasoning, and taken to increase breast milk production. Another recipe is to grind a teaspoon of seeds and add the same amount of granulated sugar to the mixture. The spice does not affect the taste of milk, the baby will not refuse the breast.
  • Masks made from cumin seeds eliminate dandruff, improve blood circulation in the scalp, and stimulate hair growth.
  • Seasoning is added to dishes made from beans, potatoes, and beans to reduce fermentation and improve taste and aroma. Tincture of spices eliminates bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, removes gases, prevents vomiting and nausea.
  • Jeera seed oil is rubbed into the skin to increase breast elasticity; the effect is enhanced by regular contrast showers.
  • Crushed seeds are mixed with honey and taken to improve memory. Proportions – a teaspoon of seasoning per tablespoon of honey.
  • Kmin helps in the treatment of bronchitis, severe cough with sputum production.
  • Rinsing your mouth daily with a decoction of the seeds eliminates bad breath. The tincture has a delicate taste, a spicy aroma, and does not cause heartburn.

Where to add seasoning

Zira is not one of the universal seasonings, as it has an original, independent taste. Kmin is used in the preparation of Mexican snacks - mole, chicken wings, quinoa, burritos, chili con carne, quesadillas, fajitas. But a quick spicy meal, a spicy meat marinade or a quick sauce is far from the limit. The seasoning is added to traditional dishes of many cuisines around the world, for example, sujuk sausage, Greek dolmades, hummus. The list of dishes in which cumin seeds are added for flavor is huge and is regularly updated with new recipes:

  • Crushed cumin seeds give a light nutty taste and spicy aroma to minced meat for homemade sausages, chopped cutlets, and smoked sausages. The seasoning is added to the marinade for shish kebab and barbecue.
  • Classic pilaf with lamb and many other oriental dishes must be prepared with the addition of cumin. Kmin is added to stewed meat, khinkali, eggplant moussaka, steamed manti, lula kebab, and other famous dishes, the taste and aroma of which largely depend on spices.
  • Ground seeds are included in chaman - a traditional seasoning for Armenian dishes with oriental spices.
  • Ryazhenka, fresh cottage cheese, any fermented milk products or dishes with kmin are a light but nutritious snack, an alternative to dry milk and fast food. Sandwiches with soft cheese are sprinkled with ground seeds.
  • Freshly squeezed or store-bought tomato juice with salt, cilantro, cumin seeds and other seasonings has a refreshing taste and quickly quenches thirst. The spice is added to the compote to give the drink a warming aroma of oriental spices.
  • A pinch of ground cumin will harmoniously complement any gravy and give it a unique taste, regardless of the main ingredients and other spices.
  • Ground cumin seeds are added to seafood. It goes well with shrimp, squid, and fried fish.
  • The seasoning is in demand among vegetarians who want to diversify the taste and aroma of dishes made from potatoes, rice, lentils, and chickpeas with spices. Before preparing vegetable dishes, add cumin seeds to the heated oil for frying.
  • Sour cream mixed with ground cumin seeds is a quick sauce that you can use to top your favorite salad. It is recommended to add it to first courses instead of fatty mayonnaise.
  • For a richer taste of spices, a mixture of garlic, cumin, and coriander is added to soups.
  • Baked goods with this seasoning have a more refined taste. You can use whole fruits to sprinkle on homemade bread, savory buns, and flatbreads.
  • Cumin seeds will give an original taste and aroma of spices to homemade preparations. They are added to the marinade for preserving or fermenting tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and mushrooms.
  • The spice cumin is indispensable in the preparation of many Latin American dishes. The seasoning is added with whole seeds or in powder form and is used to enhance the taste of such exotic dishes as enchiladas, kitchari, lamb kufta, palak paneer.

What spices does it go with?

Jeera seasoning has a strong, memorable taste, so it is important to combine it with the right spices to complement the rich palette of flavors. The ideal company for kmina is oregano, hot pepper, barberry, saffron, thyme, fennel, dill. The spice is part of such popular mixtures as curry, turukma, chutney, garam masala. To sweet baked goods and other flour dishes add cumin, cloves, cardamom and a little nutmeg. Kmin goes well with spices with which it has a similar taste - coriander, cumin.

How to replace cumin

There are times when the necessary seasoning is not at hand, but you shouldn’t despair or make adjustments to your favorite recipe because of this. Zira can always be replaced with its “twin brother” - cumin, which has a similar taste and almost the same rich aroma. If necessary, you can add a mixture of chili peppers and coriander, dill, and anise to the dish, but then it will no longer acquire the subtle nutty flavor for which the original spice is famous. Therefore, it is better to stock up on spices for future use and store the seeds in airtight glass containers, for example, miniature baby food jars.

The spice cumin, which is considered perhaps the queen of oriental spices and the favorite seasoning of the Egyptian pharaohs, is not so often found on our table. Many housewives treat it with caution and hesitate to add anything other than salt or black pepper to their daily diet. Cumin seeds contain bitterness and pungency; you can sense the sweetish aroma, taste and spiciness of nutmeg, so with the right dosage this spice will make dishes varied. The main thing is to know a few secrets that will help reveal the taste of the seasoning and improve the process of digestion of food:

  1. The white kmin is fried before being added to the dish. The pan must be dry because the cumin seeds already contain oils. Spices are heated not until the color changes, but until the aroma appears.
  2. It is better to grind the cumin immediately before serving or adding it to a dish.
  3. It is not advisable to store ground cumin for more than a month, even in an airtight glass container for spices.
  4. Whole seeds can be stored for about a year, but no more, otherwise bitterness will appear, and the aroma of the spice will disappear along with the essential oils. The main condition is the absence of direct sunlight, access to moisture and oxygen.
  5. The oil is heated with toasted cumin seeds and used to sauté vegetables. Thanks to this, zucchini, carrots, onions for stews, ajapsandal or other dishes instantly absorb the aromas of spices.

How to choose a quality seasoning

Before you add kmin to your favorite dish or drink, you need to choose the right spice. This is the only way that cumin seeds will give off all the taste and aroma and give the meal an oriental mood. The seasoning can be bought both at the nearest store and at the market. In the latter case, it is important to trust a trusted spice dealer and make sure that during storage, all conditions of humidity and commercial proximity of the kmin with other spices are observed. There are several simple techniques and generally accepted rules that will help you choose a quality product:

  1. It is important to pay attention to the date of manufacture of the spices - during long-term storage, black cumin becomes rancid and acquires an unpleasant aroma. This is due to the release of cumin oil, which quickly deteriorates and can ruin the taste of the dish.
  2. Store-bought spice packaging must be airtight. If there are gaps in the seasoning, insects may appear (bugs easily adapt to life even in a loosely closed container with ground red pepper and other hot spices).
  3. Spices that are offered on the market by weight must be whole, without debris, impurities, herbs, seeds with extraneous aromas.
  4. You should not buy spices that give off a repulsive, musty smell of dampness.
  5. The partition between adjacent spices should be tight to prevent accidental mixing of seasonings or exchange of odors. There is a risk of acquiring not a pure spice, but an improvised mixture of spices with a dubious bouquet of aromas and a specific taste that will ruin the dish.
  6. The freshness of the spice can be easily determined by rubbing a few seeds with your fingers - the rich aroma of cumin should appear instantly.
  7. If storage conditions have been violated, lumps will appear in the seasoning. You cannot buy such spices - they will not impart taste and aroma to the dish, even if the cumin seeds are first dried or mixed with other spices.

Contraindications

The cumin spice has not only advantages, but also some contraindications, like most other seasonings. People with high acidity, gastritis, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the digestive system, chronic stomach or duodenal ulcers are not recommended to add spice to food. Kmin is high in calories and carbohydrates, so if you are prone to obesity, the amount of spices should be limited. If you have an allergic reaction or individual intolerance, you will also have to avoid dishes with seasoning.

10 signs that you are not loved

Syn.: Roman cumin, zera, cumin, cumin, kammun, cumin cumin, Indian cumin.

Cumin, also known as Roman caraway, is a one- to two-year-old herbaceous plant with pinnate, thread-like leaves and small white or red flowers borne in umbellate inflorescences. Dried Roman cumin seeds and their oil have antimicrobial, antiseptic, antimycotic, and carminative properties.

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Flower formula

The formula of the cumin flower is: * H(5-0)L5T5P(2).

In medicine

Zira is not a pharmacopoeial plant and is not listed in the Register of Medicines of the Russian Federation, but is approved for use as a dietary supplement (dietary supplement). The dried seeds of the plant and the oil obtained from them have medicinal properties. They are capable of having carminative, antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antimycotic effects.

Contraindications and side effects

In cooking

Zira has found its widest use in cooking. Its aroma and sharp-bitter taste are used in many oriental dishes. It goes well with meat and vegetable dishes. An excellent seasoning, cumin adds piquancy to some baked goods, is used in the production of cheeses, sausages and marinades, and is added to famous spice blends such as garam masala, curry, chili, sofrito and adobas. Without a spice like cumin, it is impossible to cook real oriental pilaf, many dishes of Mexican, Greek, and Indian cuisine. Zira can be used either whole or ground, but you should know that in order for the spice to fully reveal its taste and aroma, the seeds must be fried in a dry, hot frying pan.

Housewives often confuse cumin seeds with cumin seeds: despite the external similarity, bitter taste and pungent smell of both spices, they have different taste characteristics and, accordingly, have different uses in cooking. Zira seeds are a frequent “companion” of meat dishes, cheeses and sausages, while caraway seeds are used mainly in baking, home canning and in the preparation of certain drinks (for example, caraway kvass, beer, tea).

In crop production

Gardeners know that cumin needs special growing conditions. It is a drought-resistant, tropical crop that requires hot summers for 3-4 months. The optimal temperature for the growth of Roman cumin is from 25 to 30°C. Therefore, in northern latitudes this spice is grown extremely rarely and only under artificial conditions.

In cosmetology

Roman caraway essential oil is used in cosmetology. It whitens and moisturizes the skin, cleanses it and fights rashes, so it can be a component of various creams and lotions designed to care for problematic, oily skin. Since this oil can have a warming effect and stimulate blood circulation when used externally, it becomes a good remedy for weakened hair and is effective in combating cellulite.

Classification

Zira (lat. Cuminum cyminum) is a species of herbaceous plants from the small genus Kmin or Komun (lat. Cuminum). The genus has only 3 species and belongs to the family Celeraceae/Celery (lat. Apiaceae) or Umbelliferae (lat. Umbellíferae).

Botanical description

Zira is a one- or two-year-old herbaceous plant up to 50 centimeters high with a thin, bare, branched stem, colored dark green. The long, feathery, thread-like leaves of cumin reach a length of 10 centimeters. Small white, pink or scarlet flowers are collected in umbrella inflorescences. The formula of the cumin flower is * H(5-0)L5T5P(2). The fruits of Roman cumin are spindle-shaped or ovoid achenes 4-5 millimeters long; each fruit contains two semi-fruits with one seed. Zira seeds are oblong, longitudinally ribbed, yellow-brown with oily veins.

Spreading

The homeland of zira is Central Asia. Later, the plant spread to the Mediterranean countries, Iran, Afghanistan, North Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. In the modern world, cumin is grown in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, China, Chile, Syria and Mexico. The main producer and consumer of the spice is India. It grows up to 70% of the total industrial seed production, which is just under 200 thousand tons.

Procurement of raw materials

Harvesting cumin begins shortly before the seeds ripen, since dry seeds quickly fall to the ground and become unusable. An essential oil with a strong musky-spicy aroma is obtained from fresh seeds. To use as a spice, cumin is dried either in the sun or in special dryers. Dried cumin is stored for 2 years, ground into powder - no more than 3-4 months.

Chemical composition

Zira seeds contain up to 4% essential oil and about 20% fatty oil, up to 16% gum, as well as vitamins C, E, K, B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and calcium. Limonene, geraniol, camphene, 1,8 cineole were found in cumin essential oil, but the main share is cumicaldehyde.

Pharmacological properties

The medicinal properties of cumin are associated with its rich vitamin and mineral composition and the presence of essential oil in the seeds. Research has shown that cuminaldehyde has antimicrobial and antifungal effects and is able to cope with E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Zira can stimulate digestion, enhance peristalsis and increase the secretion of gastric juice, which explains its carminative effect.

Use in folk medicine

The beneficial properties of cumin have found application in folk medicine. Regular consumption of the spice has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and nervous system, and vision. Decoctions and infusions of cumin help with diarrhea, stomach colic, flatulence, and dyspepsia. They are suggested to be taken for stones in the stomach and bladder, bronchitis and cough, headaches and insomnia. Lotions with Roman cumin are recommended for dermatitis, neurodermatitis, purulent wounds, and bruises. Healers advise chewing cumin against toxicosis during pregnancy and drinking it in decoctions during breastfeeding to stimulate lactation. Zira seeds are included in weight loss teas, as the spice promotes good digestion and helps the body get rid of toxins.

Historical background

The benefits of cumin have been known to mankind since ancient times. Plant seeds found during excavations in the Middle Eastern city of Sippar Amnanum (modern Tell ed-Deir) date back to the second millennium BC. Even the ancient Egyptians used cumin as a seasoning, medicine and one of the preservatives for mummifying bodies. Zira is mentioned in the Old Testament. It was used in ancient times. Dioxoride, Pliny the Elder and Hippocrates wrote about the medicinal effect of the plant. Even ancient Greek nurses drank tea with cumin seeds to improve lactation. Roman soldiers sprinkled them on wounds to heal. Roman cumin seeds are mentioned in Ayurveda. They are used in decoctions, vati tablets and along with ghee. Ayurveda recommends jeera for cardiovascular diseases, poor digestion, fever, vomiting and swelling.

Literature

1. Victoria Karpukhina “Encyclopedia of Healing Spices”, AST, Moscow, 2013 – p. 69.

India is considered the birthplace of cumin, where it grows in the gardens of the local population. In nature, it is found only in a few mountainous regions. It is also grown in Afghanistan, Iran, some African countries and eastern Asia.

ZIRA – BIOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION

Jeera is an annual plant with a spindle-like tap root. The stem is erect, quite branched at the base, 20-60 cm high, with sufficient watering it can be up to 120 cm. The branches are well leafy. The foliage is turquoise-green, pinnately dissected. The flowers are small, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, they are collected in umbrellas composed of 6-12 rays, the peduncles are long.

Flowering period – June-July.

Ripe cumin seeds have a color from gray-greenish to rich brown. They have 2 seeds, the shape and size resemble celery seeds. They have a specific spicy aroma that resembles thyme and are slightly bitter in taste. The fruits ripen in August-early September. The weight of a thousand semi-fruits is 0.3-0.35 g.

ZIRA: GROWING FEATURES

Iowan is demanding of light; it needs a lot of heat from the moment the stem begins to develop until the end of the growing season. Seeds begin to germinate already at a temperature of 8C. After sowing the seeds, seedlings will appear in 12-18 days. During germination and rosette development, Iowan is resistant to frost.

Zira loves nutrient-rich, loose soil. Clay, sandy, swollen and heavy are not suitable for her. The growing season lasts up to 140 days.

PLANTING ZIRA SEEDS

After sowing the seeds, during germination and in the first few weeks of the growing season, azhgon needs abundant watering. During ripening, on the contrary, dry weather is required.

Zira is sown simultaneously with grains - in early spring, when the soil warms up to 10'C. The distance between rows is 45 cm, wide-row sowing. In an area free of weeds and with sufficient moisture, continuous sowing can be used at the beginning of the growing season. For wide-row sowing, the seeding rate is 6 kg/ha, and for continuous sowing – 10 kg/ha.

The seeds are planted to a depth of 2-3 cm - with a sufficient amount of moisture, and if dry weather is expected, then to a depth of 3-4 cm. Immediately after sowing, the soil is compacted. Shoots appear in 15-20 days.

To speed up their appearance and shorten the growing season, the seeds are fermented. They need to be immersed with a bag for 15 minutes in warm water (45 C), then immersed in water at room temperature for 5 hours. After swelling, the seeds are kept for 2-3 days at a temperature of 20-22″C. After the seeds begin to hatch (up to 5%), they are dried to a free-flowing state. Fermentation will help speed up germination by 7-10 days and by several days - the growing season, which on average lasts 130-150 days.

After the emergence of seedlings, when the rows begin to appear, it is necessary to fill the rows and weed them. There is nothing unusual in caring for azhgon; it only requires weeding and loosening the rows.

HARVEST

Zira ripens unevenly; harvesting begins when 55-60% of the fruits on the central umbels are fully ripe. At this time, on the umbels of the first and second orders, the seeds are in the browning stage. The azhgon is cleaned separately. First, it is mowed into windrows. After a few days, the seeds in the windrows dry to a moisture content of 12%, after which they are threshed.

USES OF ZIRA AND ITS USEFUL PROPERTIES

Zira contains a lot of thymol, which is extracted from essential oil; the largest amount is found in the seeds (12%). It is a transparent, sometimes slightly brown, liquid, has a sharp and harsh taste, smells of thymol, its content in the oil is up to 40%.

Iowan blooms at different times; on the same stem there are inflorescences at different periods of development.

The composition and physical properties of essential oil vary depending on the growing season. But the maximum amount of essential oil during the milky ripeness of the seeds is in the umbrellas. The essential oil, which is collected during full flowering, contains a large amount of thymol, a little paraffin with terpinene.

The essential oil obtained from mature seeds contains high amounts of thymol (although thymol content peaks during milk maturity). It also contains paraffin, dipantene, carvarol, glycerides and up to 17% protein.

Due to their pungent taste and smell, cumin seeds are used in cooking as a spice or seasoning. In India, the seeds are added to curry seasonings and used in preparing vegetable dishes. Africans love to season meat dishes with cumin.

In Central Asian countries, only seeds are used for cooking. In Kyrgyzstan, azhgon is used to fry meat with vegetables, season sauces with it, and marinate meat. Uzbeks use azhgon when preparing soups, main courses, cold appetizers, and baked goods. In Turkey, ajovan is added to fish, meat, and porridge. And also, not a single pilaf is complete without fragrant azhgon.

Ajgon fruits have many pronounced medicinal properties.

The essential oil from the seeds contains thymol. It has pronounced antiseptic, wound-healing, and antihistamine properties; it is used in dentistry. In India, it is used as a diuretic and also for stomach pain and colic. To obtain essential oil from ajgon fruits, you need to steam distill the crushed fruits. The main product obtained from essential oil is thymol.

It is extracted from the oil using a solution of sodium hydroxide. In this case, a mixture of terpenes is separated and used in soap making as a fragrance. And the waste is used as animal feed. Try growing this wonderful spice. And you can get its seeds at points where they sell spices.

True, such seeds are not always viable (like all celery seeds, cumin quickly loses its viability - within a year), so choose those that smell the most, take from different batches and sow in pots of flowers for testing.

Thanks to the unusual smell, dishes with cumin have taken a strong place in cooking. In order for the wonderful seasoning cumin to reveal its aroma, it is fried in a dry frying pan or in oil along with vegetables. Then the smell will be more spicy with nutty notes. An excellent drink is obtained if you add cumin and sour cream to tomato juice. Vegetables, legumes and potatoes are well digested if you add cumin spice. In addition, meat sprinkled with seeds lasts well for several days. It is added to hot dishes at the beginning of cooking, preferably in hot oil before the main products, to enhance the aroma. Jeera has many other beneficial properties about it.

Meat in pita bread with cumin

Fry 200g of minced beef in a frying pan with cumin seeds, one finely chopped onion, and ground pepper. Then add 200g of potatoes, diced, 100g of eggplant. Simmer the mixture over low heat, 5 minutes before readiness, sprinkle with chopped herbs and green onion leaves.

Cut two thin pita breads into squares, place the meat filling in each and make an envelope, corners up. Cut strips from the leftover lavash and tie envelopes. Bake until golden brown. You can serve with sour cream or mayonnaise and of course with any greens you like.

Soup with cumin

Boil the prepared chicken broth, add crushed cumin seeds - 10g,- 5g and ground pepper. Warm over low heat for 5 minutes.

Make dumplings from a small amount of broth, eggs and flour. Place the formed dumplings into the boiling broth. Add fried onions and carrots, taken 50g each, to the soup. Bring to a boil again, remove from heat. Serve with mayonnaise, sour cream, and your favorite spices.

Cabbage with cumin

Cut a head of cabbage, which weighs about one and a half kilograms, into inflorescences and boil for 7 minutes. Now place a non-stick container on moderate heat, add half a tablespoon of mustard seeds and fry until they start to jump.

Next, add a little vegetable oil and a mixture of cumin and coriander, taken half a tablespoon of each. After 3 minutes, add about three tablespoons of water, 1.5 cups finely and simmer until the mixture thickens. Next, add the prepared cabbage, salt and sprinkle with pepper. Simmer covered until the cabbage becomes soft. Stir at least twice during readiness.