Smart Spice: Cumin
What do you know about cumin? Cumin seeds are pungent, potent little things with the ability to significantly change the trajectory of a dish. They are featured prominently in Mexican, Mediterranean, Indian, Middle Eastern, and certain Chinese cuisines. Back in the Middle Ages, cumin was one of the most popular – and most accessible – condiments for the spice-crazy Europeans, and stories tell of soldiers going off to war with loaves of cumin bread in their satchels for good luck. Cumin originated in the Mediterranean, and it was used extensively by the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Persians, and just about everyone in that region. It is not to be confused with caraway, which is actually called “cumin” in multiple European languages. They are somewhat similar in taste and appearance, but cumin is spicier and, in my opinion, tastier.
As is usually the case with spices that have been in use for thousands of years, cumin appears to provide a number of potential health benefits, from anti-glycation agent to antioxidant to anti-osteoporotic, and much more. Note that many of the surnames in the following PubMed links are of Indian origin. Cumin, along with ghee and a host of other spices, played a prominent role in the Ayurvedic medicinal traditions, and I love seeing a lot of these supposedly “old wives’ tales” get preliminary scientific justification:
- The jury is still out on whether dietary AGEs are worrisome, but it’s clear that the formation of endogenous AGEs is a much bigger concern, especially for diabetics. In diabetic rats, cumin extract was more effective at reducing blood glucose and AGE production than glibenclamide, an anti-diabetic drug.
- Cumin’s anti-glycation properties proved useful in another study, in which diabetic rats were able to stave off cataracts after oral dosing with cumin powder.
- Another study found that cumin extract reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, and pancreatic inflammatory markers in diabetic rats. It also prevented excessive weight loss. Again, it beat out glibenclamide.
- Oral doses (25, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg) of cumin on consecutive days improved the immune response of mice with compromised immune systems due to restraint-induced stress. These effects were marked by a reduction in elevated cortisol and adrenal gland size, an increase in the weight of the thymus and spleen, and replenishment of depleted T cells. There was a dose dependent response, but all doses had beneficial effects.
- An extract of cumin had anti-osteoporotic effects on rats, similar to estradiol, but without the associated weight gain. Cumin-dosed (orally, 1 mg/kg) osteoporotic rats had increased bone density and improved bone microarchitecture.
- Cumin protected the livers of rats from ethanol- and rancid sunflower oil-induced toxicity.
- One study even seems to suggest a role for cumin in weaning addicts off of opiates - here – by reducing tolerance (yeah, it could increase the subjective high, but it would mean less product was required) and dependence.
- Antioxidant content of commonly available commercial cumin in Pakistan was found to be “potent.” It’s unclear whether the same holds true for cumin in other countries, but I imagine it probably is. Go with whole seeds and grind as needed, if possible, as ground cumin (and anything, really) will be more exposed to the air and thus more liable to degrade. If you’ve got ground cumin, store it in the fridge in an airtight, sealed container. It also helps to heat the seeds before grinding to really release the flavor. I usually toast them on a cast iron skillet over low heat for a couple minutes (just wait for the smell and don’t let them burn; you’ll know it when you smell it, because it’s somewhat reminiscent of a fine body odor), but one study found that microwaving whole cumin seeds actually preserved the aromatic and antioxidant compounds better than traditional oven roasting. Go figure.
So, what can you do with the stuff besides make curries?
Curries are great and expected places to insert cumin, of course, but why not branch out and explore? Cumin used to act as a replacement for expensive black pepper for people who couldn’t afford it, so why not treat it like that yourself and add it to things you’d otherwise never think to? Cumin and scrambled eggs. Cumin and sweet potatoes. Cumin and homemade stock for a nice hot drink before bed. If you’d eat it with black pepper, try it with cumin – not for any health benefits, necessarily, but just for a nice change of pace. My latest favorite is beef (any cut will do) marinated in lime juice, wheat-free tamari, and cumin. I just did a batch of bone-in short ribs like that with homemade beef broth, as a slight alteration of Richard Nikoley’s excellent short rib recipe, and it was incredible. I highly recommend it.
How do you use cumin? Have you used it? And don’t say “in curries”; I want some new stuff to try!
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100518105801.htm
This is interesting,not sure if you’ve covered it already.
Cumin is a constant in portuguese and brazilian cuisine…My grandmother made a fabulous spice rub for pork chops and center cuts with cumin, white pepper and garlic…and brined it with red wine vinegar…While “un-primal”…her portuguese beans..feijoada?.. also were wonderfully fragrant with lots of cumin….
Cumin is the key ingredient in one of our very favourite recipes; Pulled Pork (a.k.a Shredded Pork).
We have our own recipe which is basically a mixture of the Pulled Pork recipe from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook with a heavy influence from this one:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/08/spicy-shredded-pork/
Cumin is the key spice in my families traditional Turkish kofte recipe. Ground lamb, an egg, fresh coriander, finely grated onion and fresh garlic mixed with sea salt, pepper corns and cumin seeds ground with a mortar and pestle.
I’ve never tried frying the seeds before but will give that a try the next time I make a batch. Thanks for the tip!
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned using cumin in guacamole! Salt, garlic, cumin, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and your avocado is divine!
Cumin KUHM-in, not KYOO-min or KOO-min. Cumin (which formerly was also spelled cummin) should rhyme with summon,
i put Cumin on everything! …almost. Love cumin seeds sprinkled on my salad Yum
In the Netherlands it’s used to flavor cheese. That is to say you can buy cheese with cumin seeds in it. If that is unavailable to you, possibly you can replicate the effect by sprinkling cumin seedson a piece of aged “Gouda”
No it is NOT cumin but caraway !
Caraway =Carum carvi)
cumin =Cuminum cyminum)
taste totally diffrent
No definitely cumin in the cheese it is called komijnekaas. We find it quite easily in South Africa and my husband is half Dutch so it is one of the things he loves to get – along with things like zoutedrop (salty licorice). Karwij is caraway in Dutch.
http://www.eisengakaas.nl/nl/assortiment/komijnekaas
Fascinating! If cumin improves sensitivity to opium, perhaps it raises sensitivity to the body’s own opioids, which among other things could be a useful tool in combatting binge-eating behavior. I wonder if I start using cumin, will I be less tempted to eat the entire jar of macadamias in one sitting? An n=1 experiment awaits…
Thanks Mark for another tool in the spice rack!
You can pour hot water on 2 spoon cumin seeds and make tea. it has high iron content and other minerals. its very useful in IBD/IBS. In kerala, where Ayurveda originated, they drink cumin water with all meals and its served in all restaurants. roasted and crushed cumin seeds have nice intense flavor..use 2 make buttermilk which is damn gud for digestion and IBD/IBS.
Personally, I’ve noticed that when consuming a lot of spices their scent tends to permeate the skin for the next day or so. I remember Mark commenting on eating certain types of spices to potentially ward off mosquitoes so I assume it’s a similar process. To that point I would warn anyone with a hot date coming up, not to over-do-it on the cumin the night before because that “fine body odor” smell well definitely be magnified the day after a cumin-laden meal. Instead, sweet-smelling spices like cardamom, fennel (be careful of the phyto-estrogens), or even large amounts of black pepper tend to have a perfume/cologne like effects, especially if you’re going sans deodorant. Does anyone else notice this effect?
Make sure you don’t buy powdered cumin in the store. Buy the seeds, roast them, then squish them in a mortar and pestle. My niece taught me this and the taste is so dramatically different. I didn’t care for cumin until she taught me this way and now I have it almost every day!
Having grown up in Texas, I use cumin in almost everything! One of my favorite easy sides is sauteed zucchini, red pepper, and onion sprinkled with cumin and chili powder in the last moments of cooking.
I can’t imagine my kitchen without cumin!
Cumin is an excellent addition to guacamole, hummus, or tabouli (among other things).
So yeah, I just added cumin to the meal I’m making for dinner. Glad I had it in the cupboard!
P.S. Cumin is *great* in guacamole.
30-second (/overnight) brisket, for the lazy meat lover who wants to cook once and eat well all week.
1. Get a few pounds of grass-fed brisket with a nice fat cap (ask your farmer for a “point” which has more fat. If your grass-fed beef is too lean, ask your farmer to slaughter older animals — 3-4 years is good).
2. Rub with salt to taste.
3. Sprinkle liberally with whole cumin seeds.
4. Roast uncovered, fat side up at 225F or so overnight (8+ hours). Any internal temp over 185-190 should soften a brisket sufficiently. Your container should have high enough sides to capture any rendered fat.
5. Slice in the morning while warm. Save the rendered fat for other cooking purposes (it will be a bit salty and have a roasted cumin flavor) or mix it in with the sliced brisket. Reheat leftovers in the microwave.
This works equally well with short ribs. Pull the bones out in the morning while warm and reserve for stock. For big joints like lamb/mutton shoulder, increase the temperature a bit to dissolve pesky tendons (235F works for me). Joints should reach an internal temp of 195-200F.
When DH and I got married (almost 30 years ago) he didn’t care for (read: hated) ground cumin – he said it smelled like dirty feet! Dirty feet aside, personally I love the stuff and have used it for years in the kitchen – couldn’t live without it.
So when I used it for cooking, I made sure to use it with other “normal, everyday” spices/herbs so DH didn’t have a clue it was in the meal. (He couldn’t stand any type of curry either.) I think it’s one of those things that you either love or hate.
Fast forward to today: DH thinks anything cooked with cumin is wonderful and “so tasty” and he brags to everyone about what a wonderful cook I am and how good all this “Primal” food tastes!!
I think it blends well with almost all ethnic cooking flavors (except for carb loaded, sugar loaded apple pie and as in potato,rice,wheat flour “American” cuisine).
Hmmm – has anyone tried to make cumin-flavored ice cream? LOL
I make a tea of cumin,chamomile, and coriander. quite refreshing.
Mix some chickpeas with cumin, salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil and roast for 40 minutes at 450F for an incredibly delicous result! Roasted chickpeas are a great snack or addition to any salad. They also add a great crunch to a fruit/yogurt parfait.
Cumin in guacamole is the bomb.
2 avocados
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cumin
garlic to taste
Mash and mix and enjoy!
I love cumin! One of my favorite marinades for chicken: chopped green chiles, olive oil, raw honey, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I just cooked some bone-in skin-on chicken breasts with this marinade. Bake uncovered for crispy flavorful skin. Another great: coleslaw dressed in a honey, cumin, cayenne dressing…add in a few finely diced apples. YUM!
Cumin and butter is great on baked sweet potatoes.
Cumin, butter (KerryGold Irish butter FTW) and a major squirt of fresh lime juice is absolutely wonderful on baked sweet potatoes and yams.
I have always used a lot of cumin, mostly in Mexican recipes or in rubs for meat.
Lately I have used it in a tuna salad served over ½ avocado, and also I put it in egg salad that I make with mashed avocado.
We use cumin in a few cuban steak (grilled) recipes. They’re some of our favorite ways to flavor a grilled steak!
I love cumin – I put it in all my savoury dishes.
Cumin seeds are great fried up with kale.
Yeah, have to try that cumin on eggs on the weekend. If it works, I’m most def going to overdose on cumin in the future.
Let’s see how it’s cumin along. (I just had to say it!)
Hi all, here is a fast recipe for meatballs( turkish kofte , greek koftedes ) with cumin ( and others ) , just replace the breadcrumbs with eggs, and you’ll do fine !!
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/superfast-kofte-10000001591043/
Bevare
Cumin =Cuminum cyminum)
Caraway =Carum carvi)
lots of people confuse those.
Caraway is callen
Kommen in danish
Kummin in swedish
Echter Kümmel in german
Karwij in dutch
While I enjoy in cumin I don´t really like caraway
Called
Cumin is also a fine replacement for chili powder in chili and other southwest dishes.
Cumin gives a whole new dimension to pumpkin soup – but you have to add it while it’s cooking!