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