Caraway | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Apiaceae |
Genus: | Carum |
Species: | C. carvi |
Binomial name | |
Carum carvi | |
Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (Carum carvi), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. [1] [2]
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
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Energy | 1,390 kJ (330 kcal) |
49.90 g | |
Sugars | 0.64 g |
Dietary fiber | 38.0 g |
14.59 g | |
Saturated | 0.620 g |
Monounsaturated | 7.125 g |
Polyunsaturated | 3.272 g |
19.77 g | |
Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
Vitamin A equiv. | 2% 18 μg |
Thiamine (B1) | 33% 0.383 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) | 32% 0.379 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 24% 3.606 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 28% 0.360 mg |
Folate (B9) | 3% 10 μg |
Vitamin C | 25% 21.0 mg |
Vitamin E | 17% 2.5 mg |
Vitamin K | 0% 0 μg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 69% 689 mg |
Iron | 125% 16.23 mg |
Magnesium | 73% 258 mg |
Phosphorus | 81% 568 mg |
Potassium | 29% 1351 mg |
Sodium | 1% 17 mg |
Zinc | 58% 5.5 mg |
Other constituents | Quantity |
Water | 9.87 g |
| |
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA FoodData Central |
The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been called by many names in different regions, with names deriving from the Latin cuminum (cumin), the Greek karon (again, cumin), which was adapted into Latin as carum (now meaning caraway), and the Sanskrit karavi, sometimes translated as "caraway", but other times understood to mean "fennel". [3] English use of the term caraway dates to at least 1440, possibly having Arabic origin. [3] [4]
The plant is similar in appearance to other members of the carrot family, with finely divided, feathery leaves with thread-like divisions, growing on 20–30 cm (8–12 in) stems. The main flower stem is 30–60 cm (12–24 in) tall, with small white or pink flowers in compound umbels composed of 5–16 unequal rays 1–6 cm (0.4–2.4 in) long. Caraway fruits, informally called seeds, are smooth, crescent-shaped, laterally compressed achenes, around 3 mm (1⁄8 in) long, with five pale ridges and a distinctive pleasant smell when crushed. [5] It flowers in June and July. [5]
Caraway was mentioned by the early Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides as a herb and tonic.[ citation needed ] It was later mentioned in the Roman Apicius as an ingredient in recipes. [6] Caraway was known in the Arab world as karawiya, and cultivated in Morocco. [6]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(March 2022) |
The only species that is cultivated is Carum carvi, its fruits being used in many ways in cooking and in the preparation of medicinal products and liqueurs. [7]
The plant prefers warm, sunny locations and well-drained soil rich in organic matter. [8] In warmer regions, it is planted in the winter as an annual. In temperate climates, it is planted as a summer annual or biennial. [1]
It is widely established as a cultivated plant. The Netherlands, Poland and Germany are the top caraway producers. [9] Finland supplies about 28% (2011) of the world's caraway production from some 1500 farms, the high output occurring possibly from its favorable climate and latitudes, which ensure long summer hours of sunlight. [10]
Caraway seeds are 10% water, 50% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 15% fat (table). In a 100 grams (3.5 oz) reference amount, caraway seeds are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, B vitamins (24–33% DV), vitamin C (25% DV), and several dietary minerals, especially iron (125% DV), phosphorus (81% DV), and zinc (58% DV) (table).
When ground, caraway seeds yield up to 7.5% of volatile oil, mostly D-carvone, and 15% fixed oil of which the major fatty acids are oleic, linoleic, petroselinic, and palmitic acids. [11]
Phytochemicals identified in caraway seed oil include thymol, o-cymene, γ‑terpinene, trimethylene dichloride, β-pinene, 2-(1-cyclohexenyl), cyclohexanone, β-phellandrene, 3-carene, α-thujene, and linalool. [11]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(September 2023) |
The fruits, usually used whole, have a pungent, anise-like flavor and aroma that comes from essential oils, mostly carvone, limonene, and anethole. [12] Caraway is used as a spice in breads, especially rye bread. [13] A common use of caraway is whole as an addition to rye bread – often called seeded rye or Jewish rye bread (see Borodinsky bread). Caraway seeds are often used in Irish soda bread and other baked goods.
Caraway may be used in desserts, liquors, casseroles, and other foods. Its leaves can be added to salads, stews, and soups, and are sometimes consumed as herbs, either raw, dried, or cooked, similar to parsley. The root is consumed as a winter root vegetable in some places, similar to parsnips. [13]
Caraway fruits are found in diverse European cuisines and dishes, for example sauerkraut, and the United Kingdom's caraway seed cake. In Austrian cuisine, it is used to season beef and, in German cuisine, pork. In Hungarian cuisine, it is added to goulash, and in Norwegian cuisine and Swedish cuisine, it is used for making caraway black bread. [13]
Caraway oil is used to for the production of Kümmel liquor in Germany and Russia, Scandinavian akvavit, and Icelandic brennivín. [13] Caraway can be infused in a variety of cheeses, such as havarti and bondost to add flavor. In Latvian cuisine, whole caraway seeds are added to the Jāņi sour milk cheese. In Oxford, where the plant appeared to have become naturalised in a meadow, the seeds were formerly offered on a tray by publicans to people who wished to disguise the odour of their drinker's breath. [14]
Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus Apium and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants, with more than 3,800 species in about 446 genera, including such well-known and economically important plants as ajwain, angelica, anise, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip and sea holly, as well as silphium, a plant whose identity is unclear and which may be extinct.
Dill is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula; it is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food.
Parsley, or garden parsley is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalized in Europe and elsewhere in the world with suitable climates, and is widely cultivated as a herb, and a vegetable.
Thyme is the herb of some members of the genus Thymus of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus Origanum, with both plants being mostly indigenous to the Mediterranean region. Thymes have culinary, medicinal, and ornamental uses, and the species most commonly cultivated and used for culinary purposes is Thymus vulgaris.
Anise, also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia.
Fennel is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks.
Coriander, also known as cilantro, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking.
Ajwain or ajowan —also known as ajowan caraway, omam , thymol seeds, bishop's weed, or carom—is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Both the leaves and the seed‑like fruit of the plant are consumed by humans. The name "bishop's weed" also is a common name for other plants. The "seed" is often confused with lovage seed.
Latvian cuisine typically consists of agricultural products, with meat featuring in most main meal dishes. Fish is commonly consumed due to Latvia's location on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea.
Carvone is a member of a family of chemicals called terpenoids. Carvone is found naturally in many essential oils, but is most abundant in the oils from seeds of caraway, spearmint, and dill.
Myrrhis odorata, with common names cicely, sweet cicely, myrrh, garden myrrh, and sweet chervil, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus Myrrhis.
Trachyspermum roxburghianum is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is grown extensively in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia. Its aromatic dried fruits, like those of its close relative ajwain, are often used in Bengali cuisine but are rarely used in the rest of India. The fresh leaves are used as an herb in Thailand and it is used medicinally in Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern Europe and western Asia, but naturalized over a much wider area, including parts of Europe, northern Africa and east to Myanmar. It is used as a spice in many cuisines.
Tunisian cuisine, the cuisine of Tunisia, consists of the cooking traditions, ingredients, recipes and techniques developed in Tunisia since antiquity. It is mainly a blend of Mediterranean and native Punics-Berber cuisine. Historically, Tunisian cuisine witnessed influence and exchanges with many cultures and nations like Italians, Andalusians, French and Arabs.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to herbs and spices:
Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole and ground form. Although cumin is used in traditional medicine, there is no high-quality evidence that it is safe or effective as a therapeutic agent.
The history of spices reach back thousands of years, dating back to the 8th century B.C. Spices are widely known to be developed and discovered in Asian civilizations. Spices have been used in a variety of antique developments for their unique qualities. There were a variety of spices that were used for common purposes across the ancient world. Different spices hold a value that can create a variety of products designed to enhance or suppress certain taste and/or sensations. Spices were also associated with certain rituals to perpetuate a superstition or fulfill a religious obligation, among other things.