Cumin seeds has a penetrating musty, earthy flavour. It's a cooling spice. In the middle ages, cumin was believed to keep lovers faithful and chicken from straying. More recently, cumin has become popular because of its use in Mexican cooking.
A native of Egypt and the Mediterranean, cumin is now mostly produced in India. Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are the prominent producers.
Roasted very briefly on low fire (for only a minute) on a tawa (girdle) and then ground into powder helps release its flavour more fully. Cumin is considered a digestive.
