Caraway
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| Caraway Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||
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| Missing image Carawayseeds.JPG Caraway seeds | ||||||||||||||
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Caraway or Persian cumin (Carum carvi) is a biennial plant that belongs to the Apiaceae, or parsley, family. Its seeds are used as a spice in breads, liquors, casseroles, and other foods, especially in Central European and Scandinavian cuisine, for instance Sauerkraut. It is also used to add flavour to cheeses. Several liqueurs are also made with caraway and a tea made from the seeds is good for colic.
Caraway seeds are crescent-shaped and around 2 mm long, with five pale ridges. The seed, usually used whole, has a pungent, anise-like flavor. The aroma comes from essential oils, mostly carvone and limonene. Caraway seed oil is also used as a fragrance component in soaps, lotions, and perfumes.
The plant looks similar to a carrot plant, with finely divided, feathery leaves with thread-like divisions, growing on 20-30 cm stems. The main flower stem is 40-60 cm tall, with white or pink flowers in umbels. The roots may be cooked like parsnips or carrots. It prefers sun and well-drained soil.
See also
External links
- Caraway (http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Caru_car.html) - Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages.
- Caraway (http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=plant_profile.cgi&symbol=CACA19) - U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service plants profile.Template:Plant-stub
als:Kümmel fi:Kumina bg:Ким de:Kümmel eo:Karvio ja:キャラウェイ pl:Kminek zwyczajny sl:Kumina sv:Kummin