Dill seed

Flavour and aroma

dill, caraway-like, slightly bitter, warm. Warm, slightly bitter, dill and caraway-like.

Heat

No heat

Forms

whole, ground

How to use it

• use raw

  Add whole to cucumber and vegetable brines, about 1 teaspoon per 500 ml jar; they hold their flavour through long brining.

• crush · Dry grinding technique

  Lightly crush for potato salads, coleslaw dressings and fish marinades so the flavour releases without a long soak.

• toast · Toasting technique

  Toast for 30–60 seconds in a dry pan to round off bitterness before adding to bread doughs or rice.

• Dill pickles and pickled vegetables
• Rye and other breads
• Potato salads and coleslaw dressings
• Braised cabbage and sauerkraut
• Fish brines

Identifying good quality

Flat, oval, light brown seeds about 3–4 mm long, with pale, winged edges and fine ribs. Crushed, they smell like dill leaf with a warmer, sharper edge.

• Not to be confused with Caraway seeds: Caraway is curved and sickle-shaped; dill seed is flat and oval with winged edges.
• Not to be confused with Celery seed: Celery seed is far smaller and dark brown.

Origin and history

Origin: Southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.. Grown and used: Grown widely in temperate regions, including India, Pakistan, Egypt, Eastern Europe and North America; used most in Northern and Eastern European and American pickling..

Dill has been grown as a culinary and medicinal herb around the Mediterranean since antiquity. The seed became the standard flavouring of brined cucumber pickles in Eastern Europe, Germany and Scandinavia, and travelled to North America with immigrants, where 'dill pickle' became a common name for the brined cucumber.

Commonly told; not firmly documented