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Aromatic with a peppery bite, black caraway seeds / black seeds are enjoyed as a spice in Egyptian, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisines and is often used in spice blends, breads, and vegetable dishes.

Middle Easterners refer to black caraway seeds as "the blessed seed" because of its healing properties. Studies show that the spice may strengthen and stimulate the immune system and act as an anti-histamine, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. Some recent studies even point to its ability to prevent some toxic side effects of cancer treatments and slow cancer growth.

Apart from being a wonderful medicine, kalonji is a superb spice, used to flavour a variety of traditional dishes including pickles.

Culinary Uses:

• Having an elegant shape and a jet black colour makes black seed a popular decorative spice for tossing onto breads (such as naan), savoury biscuits or pastries, as well as over salads.
• A tempering of black seed along with cumin or fennel seeds goes well over rice.
• Its nut-like, peppery taste adds great value to any type of curry or stew, and to dal. Black seed is either dry-roasted or tempered in cooking oil before being added to such recipes.
• Black seed is an essential ingredient in the Bengali five-spice mix known as panch phora or panch puran, used to temper dal, greens and other subzis.
• Toasted black seed can be added to citric pickles to balance the flavour and improve digestion.