Elwendia persica is a plant species in the family Apiaceae. It is related to cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and sometimes called black cumin, or black caraway, and has a smoky, earthy taste. It is often confused with Nigella sativa (which is also called black cumin, black caraway, or black seed), by which it is often substituted in cooking.
Dried E. persica fruits are used as a culinary spice in northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Iran. It is practically unknown outside these areas.
Etymology Local names for that spice are (; literally "black cumin") or (; "imperial cumin") in Hindi, (, "imperial cumin") in Bengali, (; "black cumin"), (; "black cumin"), and (; "mountain/wild cumin") in Urdu, (; "wild cumin") in Persian, and (; "black seed") in Tajiki, and in Malayalam (; literally "with cumin" or "co-cumin").
The commonly used Hindi term (; literally "imperial cumin") may actually be a distortion of syahi ("black" in Persian) zeera. However, in the Hindustani language, the term syahi () also means "inky black".Bahri, H. (1989); Caturvedi, M. (1970); Dasa, S. (1975), “स्याही”, in Digital Dictionaries of South Asia [Combined Hindi Dictionaries], University of Chicago
In Bengali, although () literally means 'black cumin', it actually refers not to E. persica, but to nigella seed,Dasa, Jnanendramohana (1937) (kr̥ṣṇajīraka), in (Bangala bhashara abhidhana), 2nd edition, p.564. Kalikata: Indian Publishing House. which is widely used as a spice in Bengali cuisine.
Uses
The plant bears slender, elongated, ribbed fruits which are harvested once the plant has become very dry. Not more than 5 to 8 g can be plucked from each plant, contributing to their high price.
The seeds are most valued as a garnish to high value, very special Indian dishes; they should not be ground, as their flavour would be reduced.
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