Edible Plants of the World

Cumin

A warm temperate to tropical plant. It suits hot climates. In Nepal it grows up to 400 m altitude. It needs full sun. It needs fertile, well-drained soils. It needs 3-4 warm months to ripen the seed. It suits hardiness zones 8-12.

Also known as:

Comino, Jeera, Jeerige, Jilakara, Jintan puteh, Jinten bodas, Jinten, Jira zeera, Jira, Jiraka jira, Jiraka, Jiregire, Jorekam, Kimyon, Komana, Kumin, Safed jeera, Siragam, Sududuru, Sulpha phul, Yeera, Zira-sufed

Edible Portion

Where does Cumin grow?

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Found in: Africa, Arabia, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Britain, China, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Europe, France, Greece, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mediterranean, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, North Africa, North America, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tasmania, Thailand, Turkey, Middle East, West Africa, Zambia

Notes: There are 2-4 Cuminum species.

Growing Cumin

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. They can be transplanted.

Edible Uses: The fruitlets are used as a spice. They are used whole or ground. They are common in curries and meat dishes. They are also used to flavour cheese, cakes and liqueurs. The oil is used to flavour sauces and sausages.

Production: The stems are harvested when the plant has finished flowering and before the fruit are ripe. These are dried before threshing. The seeds are rubbed to remove the hair like tails. The ground seeds produce a coarse textured, dark green, oily-feeling powder

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Seed 375 17.8 66.4 127 7.7 4.8 8.1

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