Bunium persicum
Encyclopedia
Bunium persicum is a plant species
in the family Apiaceae
. It is related to cumin
(Cuminum cyminum) and commonly called "black cumin
", though this term is ambiguous and if anything refers to the unrelated Nigella sativa
(Fennelflower or "black onion seed") more often than to B. persicum. Authorities differ on whether Bunium bulbocastanum (formerly included in genus
Carum
), commonly called Great Pignut or Earth Chestnut, is a different but closely related species, or – as it is treated here – a junior synonym of B. persicum.
Dried Bunium persicum fruit
s are used as a culinary spice
in northern India
, Pakistan
, Afghanistan
, Tajikistan
and Iran
. It is practically unknown outside these areas. The tuber-like root is locally collected for food; the "pignut" or chestnut" names refer to it.
and as сиёх дона (siyoh dona, "black seed") in Tajiki
.
The commonly used Hindi term shahi jeera may be a distortion of syahi (black in Persian) jeera. However, in the Hindustani Language
, the term syahi also means "inky black". In Bengali
, kalo jeera also means black cumin, but refers to Nigella, not B. persicum. Nigella
is widely used as a spice in Bengali
food, while B. persicum is rare.
east to southern Asia
. It reaches about 60 centimetres (23.6 in) tall and 25 centimetres (9.8 in) wide, bearing frilly leaves and hermaphroditic flowers; it is pollinated by insects and self-fertile. The plants from which one can pick Kala Zeera are seen in the higher-elevation region of Drass and Kargil sector in Leh region. The plants are not more than a metre in height and about two feet in width.
The small, rounded taproot
is edible raw or cooked, and said to taste like sweet chestnut
s. The leaf can be used as an herb
or garnish similar to parsley
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the family Apiaceae
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
. It is related to cumin
Cumin
Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...
(Cuminum cyminum) and commonly called "black cumin
Black cumin
Black cumin can refer to the seeds of either of two quite different plants, both of which are used as spices:* Bunium persicum, similar to caraway in shape* Nigella sativa, also called kalonji or nigella. More common in the West...
", though this term is ambiguous and if anything refers to the unrelated Nigella sativa
Nigella sativa
Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant, native to south and southwest Asia. It grows to tall, with finely divided, linear leaves. The flowers are delicate, and usually coloured pale blue and white, with five to ten petals. The fruit is a large and inflated capsule composed of three to seven...
(Fennelflower or "black onion seed") more often than to B. persicum. Authorities differ on whether Bunium bulbocastanum (formerly included in genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Carum
Carum
Carum is a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate regions of the Old World. The most important species is Caraway , the seeds of which are widely used as a culinary spice....
), commonly called Great Pignut or Earth Chestnut, is a different but closely related species, or – as it is treated here – a junior synonym of B. persicum.
Dried Bunium persicum fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s are used as a culinary spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
in northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. It is practically unknown outside these areas. The tuber-like root is locally collected for food; the "pignut" or chestnut" names refer to it.
Etymology
Local names for that spice are kala jeera (black cumin) or shahi jeera (imperial cumin) in Hindi, as زيره كوهی (zireh kuhi, "wild cumin") in PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and as сиёх дона (siyoh dona, "black seed") in Tajiki
Tajik language
Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...
.
The commonly used Hindi term shahi jeera may be a distortion of syahi (black in Persian) jeera. However, in the Hindustani Language
Hindustani language
Hindi-Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Hindustani , and historically, as Hindavi or Rekhta...
, the term syahi also means "inky black". In Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, kalo jeera also means black cumin, but refers to Nigella, not B. persicum. Nigella
Nigella
Nigella is a genus of about 14 species of annual plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to southern Europe, north Africa, south and southwest Asia. Common names applied to members of this genus are devil-in-a-bush or love in a mist....
is widely used as a spice in Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
food, while B. persicum is rare.
Growth
The plant grows wild in a wide range from southeastern EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
east to southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It reaches about 60 centimetres (23.6 in) tall and 25 centimetres (9.8 in) wide, bearing frilly leaves and hermaphroditic flowers; it is pollinated by insects and self-fertile. The plants from which one can pick Kala Zeera are seen in the higher-elevation region of Drass and Kargil sector in Leh region. The plants are not more than a metre in height and about two feet in width.
Food uses
The bush bears small size seeds and one can pluck them once the plant/bush is very dry. Not more than 5 to 8 grams of Zeera can be plucked from each bush, contributing to the high price of $ 2 per 10 gms(1987 rates).The small, rounded taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
is edible raw or cooked, and said to taste like sweet chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
s. The leaf can be used as an herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
or garnish similar to parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
.