Nigella (Nigella sativa) has small, matte black, hard, sharp-cornered seeds with an oregano-like scent; they’re used for their hauntingly aromatic, acrid, smoky flavour. Nigella probably originated in western Asia but today is cultivated from Egypt to India. Though it’s sometimes called black cumin, it’s unrelated to cumin. Confusingly, nigella is also known as onion (or wild onion) seed because the two look similar, although only nigella is used as a spice. In eastern Europe, nigella tops Russian black and Jewish rye breads. Turkish and Indian naan are frequently sprinkled with the seed. It enhances Turkish, Lebanese, Iranian, and Indian vegetable dishes, pickles, chutneys, and breads. An Arab proverb says, “Nigella seed is a remedy for every disease except death.”
- Other Names
- Black caraway; charnushka (Russian); cheveux de Vénus, nigelle, or poivrette (French); cominho-preto or nigela (Portuguese); çörek oto or siyah kimyon (Turkish); grano nero (Italian); habba sauda or sanouz (Arabic); jinten hitam (Indonesian); kalonji or munga reala (Hindi); ketzah (Hebrew); neguilla or pasionara (Spanish); nutmeg flower; onion seed; Roman coriander; schwarzkümmel or zwiebelsame (German); siah daneh (Farsi); tikur azmud (Amharic).
- Purchase and Avoid
- Whole nigella seeds should be jet-black. Poor quality seeds will have bits of husk mixed in with the seeds.
Culinary Uses
Spread whole-grain mustard on rolled-out pizza dough, spread with caramelized onions, and sprinkle with nigella seeds before baking.
Sprinkle nigella seeds over bread doughs before baking.
Food Affinities
allspice
black bread
chickpeas
cilantro
coriander
cumin
eggplant
fenugreek
ginger
lemon
string cheese
turmeric
white beans
black-eyed peas
Cuisine: Global
Category: Spices and Herbs
Sub Category: Spice
- Posted20-Apr-2011
- Total Views119
- Word Count455
- Commentvia Twitter
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