The magic spice cumin/jeera

Indian kitchens are incomplete without raw spices and cumin is one of the flavorful spice used in different foods,drinks and dishes.

The taste if cumin is different than chilli or turmeric.Cumin seeds are also used in ancient Ayurveda to treat diseases.In Indian kitchen you will surely find a small container of cumin which is added while preparing dal,rice,curries and other food items.

Cumin comes with a package of health benefits and hence it is used in most of Indian foods and dishes.It is a very regular spices in Indian kitchen which is used in curries, rice and other dishes.Beacsue of its different and specific taste,it is also used as main ingredients in some of the foods.Some of the common examples are aloo jeera,jeera fried rice.

Cumin powder

Apart from using the cumin seeds, it can be as used as powder by ry roasting it in pan and pondering it using a roller.Rhus roasted cumin powder us used in curd recipes like raita,salted Lassi,masala lemonade,and in other dishes.

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Uses of cumin in ancient Ayurveda

In ancient Ayurveda cumin is used to stimulate digestion,strengthen the immune system.Since years it is being used not only for the culinary purposes but also for medicinal purposes.In Ayurveda cimin is used to treat indigestion,diarrhea,bloating or skin diseases.

Cumin seeds are an excellent source of iron,calcium and phosphorus.Because of its therapeutic properties, it is one of those top spice seeds to be used in ancient Ayurveda.

Cumin is known as “Jeeraka” in Sanskrit which is derived from Jeerna means digestion. So Jeerak means digestive and it helps in digestive tract disorders or any kind of problems related to the stomach and digestion.These seeds have effective properties like carminative,aerobatic and astringent.

It is bitter in taste but when cooked and roses a bit, the taste of cumin enhance instantly.

Cultivation of cumin

Cultivation of Cumin requires a long, hot summer of three to four months. It thrives well in moderately dry to cool weather, with an optimum temperature of 25-30°C.This spice is basically native to Egypt and now it grows in countries like India, china and North Africa.. In India, cumin is sown from October until the beginning of December, and harvesting starts in February.

India is one of the largest consumer and producer of cumin seeds,accounting for about 70% of the global production and 90% of the global consumption.The major cumin-growing states in India are Rajasthan and Gujarat, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Cumin can grow on a variety of soils but prefers well-drained loamy soils with good organic matter content.It is drought resistant to an extent but cannot survive during excessive rain fall.