Tall, tall as a pine tree; It weighs less than a cumin. What is it? It was in the context of this childhood riddle that many of us heard about cumin for the first time. Then there were the beans and the meats that my grandmother cooked, which she preferred among all the species for its small appearance and its unmistakable taste and smell.
Cumin is an annual herbaceous plant, of the apiaceous family, which does not grow beyond 30 cm. Its leaves are lanceolate and it has tiny white or blue flowers. The edible part is its seeds, similar to a grain of rice or wheat, but smaller. Since ancient times, cumin has been used as a spice to season food and also as a remedy.
As a spice it is used from North Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean basin and in Latin America. It is used to season salads, meat, fish, vegetables and legumes (to which it is added for one of its medicinal properties, since it is carminative). It is also used in sausages, cheeses and breads. And in some regions it is an ingredient in gazpacho.
Cumin oil is a muscle relaxant
It is also known for its medicinal properties, including being digestive, carminative and sedative, just like caraway, fennel and green anise. It is also said that it opens the appetite, stimulates digestion and facilitates evacuation. Its essential oil is a muscle relaxant and, in addition, it contains a galactagogic, which is why cumin infusions increase the production of breast milk.