Cumin is of the oldest cultivated spices & is now the second most popular spice in the World after black pepper.
Today it is used in immense variety foods from around the World - as an ingredient in chili powder for Texan & Mexican-style foods, in various curries from the Asia, the Middle East & North Africa, in Chinese cooking, in South American cooking & even in Dutch chesses.
It is a spice that has been adopted in to cooking around the World & cooks like Jamie Oliver, Annabel Langbein & Gordon Ramsey will use it extensively in their acclaimed recipes. It takes the bland to beaut - that is it can transform otherwise bland food in to great tasting food. Annabel has cumin as her first spice in her recommended panty.
Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum which is a member of the parsley relatives. A single seed is found within the herbs fruit & is a tiny rectangular formed seed that is yellow-brown in color. For cooking it can be used either as a whole herb / spice or is often ground in to a power so it can be mixed in with other spices.
A 4th-century BC herbal medicine text has been found that lists cumin as a treatment for obesity & urinary & liver issues. The spice is available in both the Elderly & New Testament (mentioned "; Woe to you, for ye pay tithe of mint & anise & cumin"
Cumin was a popular spice & medicinal plant in elderly Egypt & today cumin is still popular in Indian cuisine & Indian herbal medicine. The Romans imported spices from Egypt & cumin was used in the same way they now use black pepper. Cumin used to represent greed, which is why the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, was nicknamed "Cuminus".
Country lasses used to make their lovers swallow cumin to make positive their fidelity or the soldier's friends put cumin in their wine & bread to make positive they would become fathers & therefore embed their dedication. Furthermore cumin seed was carried by the bride & groom at their wedding as it was times believed that a happy life awaited those whom carried the cumin seed - probably for the same reasons!
Today people are understanding the health benefits of herbs & spices & are beginning to look for alternative ways to incorporate these valuable ingredients back in to their lives.
Ayurveda is the oldest & most holistic medical system in the World & has promoted the use of herbs for their health benefits for over,000 years as a preventative with the belief that you ought to keep your body in ideal equilibrium with nature.
Like lots of herbs cumin has medical benefits & is a herb which is used for diseases of the digestive tract & for treating coughs & chest colds. Scientific proof suggests cumin may aid digestion by stimulating enzymes to break down the food you eat. It is also been used as a painkiller, to relieve toothache & acute stomach pains. Some herbalists also recommend cumin to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome.
In Ayurvedic medicine a popular cure for hangovers is teaspoon of lime juice & a pinch of cumin in a glass of orange juice. Ayurvedic doctors recommend drinking coriander, cumin & fennel tea to clear acne. Merge the herbs equally for a total of teaspoon & steep them for0 minutes in hot water. Strain the tea & drink cups a day after meals. Even if it doesn't clear up your acne it will certainly help your digestion.
This tiny herb has a immense history & a bigger future - it can make your tastes improve from bland to beaut with tiny hard work!
I write articles as a way to share what I have leant & try to make it simple to read than filling up articles & sites with terminology that only a few would understand.
Stuart enjoys cooking & lovely health - & a glass or of wine...
I hope that you will enjoy what you read & more importantly that you take some action to improve your health & wellbeing.
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