Flavor: Earthy/Herby/Woody
Major Flavour Compound: Cuminaldehyde
Parts Used: Fruits
Cumin (Cuminum cyminum), commonly known as jeera, is the dried fruit of a parsley-family herb and one of the world’s oldest cultivated spices. Its flavor is musky, woody, and pungent, driven mainly by cuminaldehyde, with resinous and citrus edges from pinene and cymene. Highly responsive to heat, cumin develops nutty, savory notes when dry-toasted, making freshness and gentle roasting essential for depth. Used for over 5,000 years from ancient Egypt to South Asia and the Americas, cumin underpins many spice blends, pairing especially well with coriander, black pepper, garlic, and warming spices to provide foundational earthy depth in savory dishes.
