Black Caraway is sometimes confused with Roman coriander

Black Caraway, Bunium persicum, is one of two herbs to be called by the name black cumin, both used in Asian cooking. Black caraway is used in most of Asia under this name, while the other, Roman coriander, is used in Bengali speaking areas. So if you’re looking at a recipe that calls for black cumin, you can work out which to use by bearing this regional difference in mind.

This confusion is not limited to cooks. Whilst researching for this post, I came across an educational site which had a page about Bunium persicum, but the picture accompanying the item was of Nigella sativa (Roman coriander). There is no similarity in appearance between them – black caraway is a typical umbelliferous member of the family Apiaceae, while Roman coriander looks very like the garden ornamental love in a mist, and is a member of the family Ranunculaceae. I wrote to let them know, but have received no reply so far.

As regulars will no doubt be unsurprised to hear, in my opinion if you’re looking at remedies you should never go by the common name – which may refer to an entirely different plant the next village over – or in this case, if you have an Indian family next door and a Bengali family next door the other way, both may be using black cumin – but they will be using different herbs. Sticking to the Latin name is the only safe way to go so far as herbal remedies are concerned.

Black caraway is a hardy perennial which reaches a height of around 2 feet (60cm). It is not fussy as to soil, so long as it is well drained, but prefers moist soil. It will not grow in the shade.

Black caraway has no known medicinal uses, and is only included here to point out the confusion between it and the other plant sometimes called black cumin. However, it is a very useful plant in the kitchen, the seeds make a good spice (a substitute for cumin), the leaves can be used like parsley and the roots can be used raw or cooked, and apparently taste like sweet chestnuts.

Even though you won’t be growing this plant for medicinal purposes, it’s still a good idea to grow it organically, if you do decide to grow it. To find out more about <a href=”http://www.gardenzone.info/growing/herbs.php” target=”_blank”>how to grow organic herbs</a> visit the Gardenzone.

Related Posts

1. Roman Coriander
2. Caraway
3. Cumin

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