Tall, tall as a pine tree; 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, who preferred it of all species because of its small appearance and its unmistakable flavor and smell.
Cumin is an annual herbaceous plant, from the Apiaceae family, which does not grow higher than 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 flavor food and also as a remedy. As a spice it is used from North Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin and Latin America. It is used to dress salads, meats, 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 medicinal properties including being digestive, carminative and sedative, 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 also contains a galactagogue, so cumin infusions increase breast milk production.
