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Caraway seeds

Seeds

Caraway seeds

Carum carvi

Curved, dark brown seeds with a warm, sweet anise flavour; the taste of rye bread and sauerkraut.

Also called: caraway, caraway seed, kümmel, ground caraway

Around the world: Kümmel (de) · kömény (hu) · kminek (pl) · kummin (sv)

  • Anise & liquorice
  • Earthy
  • Warm & sweet
  • No heat
Buying & storing16 recipes

Photo: OttawaAC, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Flavour and aroma

anise-like, dill-like, slightly bitter, warm. Warm, sweet, anise-like.

Heat
No heat
Forms
whole, ground

How to use it

  • use raw

    Add whole seeds straight to bread dough, sauerkraut, slaws and cheese; they soften during baking or braising.

  • dry roast · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) technique

    For a nuttier flavour, toast in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes, shaking, until fragrant and a shade darker. Do not let them smoke.

  • crush · Dry grinding technique

    Crush lightly in a mortar before adding to braises, goulash or roast pork so the flavour spreads through the dish.

  • grind · Dry grinding technique

    Grind freshly for harissa and tabil; ground caraway goes flat within weeks.

  • Rye bread and soda bread
  • Sauerkraut, coleslaw and cabbage dishes
  • Goulash and roast pork
  • Harissa and Tunisian tabil
  • Seed cakes and cheeses

Identifying good quality

Slender, curved, dark brown seeds about 4–6 mm long with five pale ridges. They look like cumin but are darker, smoother and more curved. Good seeds smell sharp and liquorice-like when crushed; dusty or musty ones are stale.

  • Not to be confused with Cumin seeds: German 'Kümmel' is caraway; cumin is 'Kreuzkümmel'. Cumin seeds are paler, straighter and hairy-ridged, with a musky, earthy smell rather than caraway's anise note.
  • Not to be confused with Fennel seeds: Fennel seeds are larger, greener and sweeter.
  • Not to be confused with Dill seed: Dill seeds are flat and oval, not curved.

Origin and history

Origin: Western Asia, Europe and North Africa.. Grown and used: Grown in the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Germany, Egypt and Canada; used most in Central and Northern Europe and in Tunisia..

Caraway has been cultivated in Europe since at least the Middle Ages and became the defining seasoning of German, Austrian, Czech, Scandinavian and Baltic rye breads, sauerkraut, cabbage and pork dishes. It flavours the liqueur kümmel and many Scandinavian aquavits. In Tunisia it is a core spice, ground into harissa and the tabil blend.

Well documented

In masalas, pastes and sauces

Recipes with caraway seeds

5 more