My fiancé introduced me to cumin a few years ago. Tho
ugh I’m sure I’d had it in plenty of Mexican and Indian dishes in the past, I never identified that smoky, yet pungent flavor I tasted in those dishes. Now that I’ve discovered the benefits of cumin both in flavor and in health, there’s no turning back.
Very similar to garlic, I thought cumin was limited to one type of food: Mexican.
Actually, cumin brings out the sweetness of other spices in a host of other cuisines. These include Middle Eastern, Indian, and African dishes.
Most recently, cumin has been making its way into U.S. dishes, likely due to our current taco craze. Besides tasting great alongside spices like, cardamom, fennel, thyme, and oregano, cumin helps to increase metabolism, aid with digestion, and prevent diabetes.
The uses for cumin are seemingly endless, and I would love to hear how you all are incorporating this spice into your dishes at home.
| Cumin can be used to treat: |
| Piles (hemorrhoids), Insomnia, Bronchitis, Asthma, Constipation, and the Common Cold |
| Cumin can be used to prevent: |
| Diabetes, Anemia, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, Dementia Fungal infection of the skin, Boils, Rashes, and Pimples |
I always associated Cumin with Indian food and Mexican food, but you’re right, it is a very versatile spice!
I don’t use Cumin nearly as much as I use garlic, but I do use it often. I love cumin and can often be a little heavy handed with it, compared to the tastes of others.
I never thought much about the health benefits of cumin, but I see they are significant.
Thanks for another great article.
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for stopping by again! I think of cumin as a modest spice. It can do much in both the flavor and benefits department. Yet, we rarely hear about it.
Even though you’re heavy handed with it, I’ve never experienced ill effects in taste from extra cumin. Have you? Did the flavor become overtly smoky or spicy? Perhaps I just really like the flavor or am not adding as much as I think I am.
Thanks again,
JaemiO
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for stopping by again! I think of cumin as a modest spice. It can do much in both the flavor and benefits department. Yet, we rarely hear about it.
Even though you’re heavy handed with it, I’ve never experienced ill effects in taste from extra cumin. Have you? Did the flavor become overtly smoky or spicy? Perhaps I just really like the flavor or am not adding as much as I think I am.
Thanks again,
JaemiO
Hi, this is an interesting article on cumin. I wonder, is it the same as turmeric? I have heard many benefits of this herb and that it can be used for many health purposes. Many home remedies are also more effective with the addition of cumin. It’s interesting to note that it can even treat insomnia – do you know how we can take it to ease ourselves to sleep at night? I’d love to learn more how to cook with cumin. Thanks for this informative article!
Hi Lily and thanks for stopping By!
Cumin and turmeric do often go together in Indian cooking, but they are separate spices. I love the smokiness and slight heat (very slight) of cumin and tend to pair it with my hearty soups and stews. It also paid very well with beer and poultry.
My best advice for taking it before bed to wind yourself down, is to include it in you dinner meals and not eat anything after dinner. It won’t out you right to sleep, and it will calm you and prepare you for bedtime.
Hope this helps. Will post recipes soon,
JaemiO
My mum uses cumin every time she cooks especially in chicken curries to give it the color! I never really thought about it and the benefits of cumin until I come across your post. I honestly wasn’t aware that Mexican dishes incorporated cumin as well, I thought it was only for Indian dishes like curries. I am so glad that cumin has its own benefits because I seem to consume it almost every day.
Hi Rab and thanks for stopping by.
Glad you enjoyed learning about the benefits of cumin! I think it’s pretty normal to not think of all the benefits of herbs and spices we use regularly. For my household, that’s definitely cumin and black pepper. We use it in almost everything, and rarely stop to think of all the benefits of it. Even ingredients like salt, which we mostly tend to hear the negative effects about, is necessary and beneficial to our health. I suppose that’s why both cumin and salt are the most popular seasonings in the world 😉
Hope to see you back again to soak in more food facts,
JaemiO