Ever since I’ve discovered cumin, this great spice has become one of my favourites to use in healthy food preparation and cooking. Therefore, I put that stuff in almost everything!!! Below I will show you why you should add this spice to your dishes and all its health benefits.
Why You Should Use To Eat Well And Feel Healthy
What Is Cumin?
It is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, belonging to the parsley family. It arrived to America via the Spanish and Portuguese colonists. There are several different types of this spice but the most famous ones are black and green, both of which are used in Persian cuisine. Today, the plant is mostly grown in Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Mexico, Chile, and China. Cumin is very popular and is an essential flavouring in many types of cuisines particularly South Asian, Northern African and Latin American.
Benefits of Cumin
Helps with certain conditions such as:
Immunity Booster
Digestion Aid
- piles
- insomnia
- respiratory disorders
- asthma
- bronchitis
- common cold
- lactation
- anemia
- skin disorders
- boils
- and cancer
For more info on these conditions check out the Organic Facts article.
Why Would You Use Cumin?
Cumin can be used ground or as a whole seed. It can sometimes be confused with caraway although cumin has a hotter taste, lighter appearance and has larger seeds.
The reason why I’m crazy about this spice is because it definitely adds an earthy, homey and warming feeling to food. It’s amazing for that perfect touch of a home-cooked meal and I’ve never had anybody complain about any dish I’ve made with this amazing spice.
Let’s explore some dishes you can add cumin to.
Soup
Adding cumin to your soup will make it taste more flavorful and it will also add a beautiful fragrant aroma. My favorite soups I have made with this awesome flavouring are: chicken soup, bean soup, lentil soup and any mixed vegetable soup.
White Bean Soup
Green Lentil Soup
Stew
Cumin added to a stew will really pump up the flavour content. Its wonderful flavour profile goes very well with a variety of meats and veggies.
Zucchini Veggie Stew
Chili
Cumin has been my ‘secret’ ingredient in chili for quite some time now. It can make a simple chili taste amazing!!! Check out my amazing chili recipe here.
Meat Chilli
Tacos
Similarly to chili, cumin added to your taco meat will make the dish stand out even more. It blends perfectly with other spices and can elevate even less flavourful ground meat.
Soft Shell Taco
Hard Shell Tacos
Burger
As I mentioned before ground meat mixes very well with cumin therefore I love to add this spice to my burger meat to give it that extra oomph. It will flavour your meat and make the burger taste even more homemade. Don’t worry about it tasting too ethnic because you can add as much or as little of the spice as your taste buds can handle.
Bacon Burger With Veggie Salad
Dumplings
As cumin mixes well with ground meat, it was a no brainer for me when I embarked on making my homemade Tasty Ground Meat Asian Dumplings With Soy Dipping Sauce. This wicked spice added that extra special touch to these little pockets of yummines.
Dumplings With Noodle Veggie Stir Fry
Rice
Adding cumin to plain rice can instantly elevate what can otherwise be a boring side dish. I have a wonderful tikka spice mix that I use to further boost the flavour content. You can put a teaspoon or more to taste into your rice to bring out that great Indian food flavour.
Tikka Spice Mix
- 6 tsp coriander
- 4 tsp garam masala
- 6 tsp cumin
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 6 tsp garlic powder
- 6 tsp paprika
- 3 tsp dried mint
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
Makes 1 batch (this should last you a while). Store in an airtight container to maintain spice potency and use within 6 months.
Tikka Spiced Rice With Chicken And Feta Salad
Have you ever used cumin? What dishes do you like to add it to? I’d love to hear your feedback on this amazing spice and feel free to share your favorite recipes with me.
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Great roundup of facts and functions of cumin. Made my mouth water!
Thank you Natalia. I’m glad you enjoyed the article!
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Wow great post – creative and informative! “Cumin the spice of life” !
Thank you Narissa. Glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂
You’re welcome! btw your blog is well designed. Keep up the great work!
Oh that’s great to hear! Cheers!
I already use cumin, good to know it has so many benefits!
Yes, it’s really delicious and good for you.
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Oh gosh, you make your food pictures look sooo good! I had no idea that cumin was in the same family as parsley, very interesting.
Oh thank you so much Lisa. I’m glad you enjoyed the article. Cumin is my go-to spice.
We have some really nice Greek recipes with Cumin and the most traditional is “soutzoukakia” 😀 It’s basically like meatballs cooked in a red tomato sauce usually served with fries or rice! So yummy! When I hear of cumin, I always bring that food in my mind!
That sounds delicious Niki. I’ll have to Google that Greek recipe then.
Mmm, I love cumin. In a hotel I used to work in they made cumin ice cream, even that was delicious.
Oh really? That sounds interesting. Wow. Never heard of adding cumin to ice cream ?
I’m feeling hungry seeing all the pics
Ha ha ha nice.