Nigella
Encyclopedia
Nigella is a genus of about 14 species of annual plant
s 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.
The species grow to 20-90 cm tall, with finely divided leaves
; the leaf segments are narrowly linear to threadlike. The flower
s are white, yellow, pink, pale blue or pale purple, with 5-10 petals. The fruit
is a capsule composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous seed
s; in some species (e.g. Nigella damascena
), the capsule is large and inflated.
s of N. sativa
, known as kalonji, black cumin
(though this can also refer to Bunium persicum
), onion seed or just nigella, are used as a spice
in Indian
and Middle Eastern cuisines. The dry roasted nigella seeds flavor curries, vegetables and pulses. The black seeds taste like a combination of onions, black pepper and oregano, and have a bitterness to them like mustard seeds. It can be used as a "pepper" in recipes with pod fruit, vegetables, salads and poultry.
Several species are grown as ornamental plant
s in gardens. Nigella damascena
has been grown in English cottage garden
s since Elizabethan times, commonly called love-in-a-mist. Nigella hispanica is a taller species with larger blue flowers, red stamens, and grey leaves. Nigella seeds are self-sowing if the seed pods are left to mature.
The dried seed capsules can also be used in flower arrangements.
and stimulant
to ease bowel and indigestion problems, and are given to treat intestinal worms and nerve defects to reduce flatulence, and induce sweating. Dried pods are sniffed to restore a lost sense of smell. It is also used to repel some insects, much like mothballs.
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
s in the family Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
, native to southern Europe
Europe
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...
, north Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, south and southwest 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...
. Common names applied to members of this genus are devil-in-a-bush or love in a mist.
The species grow to 20-90 cm tall, with finely divided leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
; the leaf segments are narrowly linear to threadlike. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are white, yellow, pink, pale blue or pale purple, with 5-10 petals. The 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,...
is a capsule composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s; in some species (e.g. Nigella damascena
Nigella damascena
Nigella damascena is an annual garden flowering plant, belonging to the buttercup family .It is native to southern Europe , north Africa and southwest Asia. It is also commonly grown in gardens in North America...
), the capsule is large and inflated.
Culinary
The seedSeed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s of N. 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...
, known as kalonji, 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 can also refer to Bunium persicum
Bunium persicum
Bunium persicum is a plant species in the family Apiaceae. It is related to cumin and commonly called "black cumin", though this term is ambiguous and if anything refers to the unrelated Nigella sativa more often than to B. persicum...
), onion seed or just nigella, are used as a 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 Indian
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
and Middle Eastern cuisines. The dry roasted nigella seeds flavor curries, vegetables and pulses. The black seeds taste like a combination of onions, black pepper and oregano, and have a bitterness to them like mustard seeds. It can be used as a "pepper" in recipes with pod fruit, vegetables, salads and poultry.
Garden flowers
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s in gardens. Nigella damascena
Nigella damascena
Nigella damascena is an annual garden flowering plant, belonging to the buttercup family .It is native to southern Europe , north Africa and southwest Asia. It is also commonly grown in gardens in North America...
has been grown in English cottage garden
Cottage garden
The cottage garden is a distinct style of garden that uses an informal design, traditional materials, dense plantings, and a mixture of ornamental and edible plants. English in origin, the cottage garden depends on grace and charm rather than grandeur and formal structure...
s since Elizabethan times, commonly called love-in-a-mist. Nigella hispanica is a taller species with larger blue flowers, red stamens, and grey leaves. Nigella seeds are self-sowing if the seed pods are left to mature.
The dried seed capsules can also be used in flower arrangements.
Other
In India, the seeds are used as a carminativeCarminative
A carminative, also known as carminativum , is a herb or preparation that either prevents formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract or facilitates the expulsion of said gas, thereby combating flatulence...
and stimulant
Stimulant
Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others...
to ease bowel and indigestion problems, and are given to treat intestinal worms and nerve defects to reduce flatulence, and induce sweating. Dried pods are sniffed to restore a lost sense of smell. It is also used to repel some insects, much like mothballs.