SC - cumin

[Decker, Terry D.]

The quick ref gives Nigella sativa as the answer.  This apparently is the
plant commonly identified by the name "black cumin."  The site you quote is
the only one to flatly contradict this usage and identify Cuminum nigrum
exclusively as "black cumin."

A quick check of Francesco Sirene's web site:

http://www.silk.net/sirene/b.htm

produces the information about the common usage and points out that while
the seeds of Cuminum nigrum are smaller and darker than regular cumin,
calling them black is stretching it.  He also states the black cumins are
also known as black caraway.

So unless the recipe comes from the area which uses Cuminum nigrum, the odds
are black cumin is Nigella sativa.

Some other names for Nigella are nutmeg flower, love in the mist, fitch, and
gith.  I believe the last two names would be those most likely to appear in
a medieval text.

You don't need to hide under the rock.  I'm too busy revising the notebook
to throw it at you.

Bear

> Bear wrote:
> "Cumin is Cuminum cyminum.  Black cumin is Nigella sativa.  ."
> 
> Bear, are you sure?  I was under the impression Nigella is black onion
> seed 
> (I love the stuff!)  
> 
> I went poking around in the spice pages
> http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/index.html
> I do not know if this gentleman knows his stuff, but he mentions "...The 
> name black cumin is frequently erroneously given to nigella (also called 
> onion seed), a spice popular in the Middle East and Northern India. Also 
> the Hindi name kala jeera is sometimes misapplied to nigella. "
> 
> Curious (and looking for the rock)
> Gwen-Cat
> Caerthe
> 
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================