The Alcaravea is a popular herb of strong spicy flavor. Brown seeds, slightly curved, are added to rye bread, chucrut and herbal liquor. According to gastronomes, the Alcaravea has a beneficial effect on digestion. Archaeologists have found remains of this spice during excavations in Mesopotamia (in what is Iraq today). It is said that it was already known 5, 000 years ago. The Alcaravea extended throughout Europe through Turkey and Greece. Later, he crossed the ocean and extended in the United States, North Africa and other countries.
Aspect
The Alcaravea – known in Latin as Carum Carvi – is a member of the Umbrella family. Its external appearance is similar to that of the carrot, but the group also includes the dill, the parsley and the weed known by the gardeners, the Goutweed. The dark green smooth stems reach a height of 40-80 cm and branch at the top forming a hairy crown. Pinnated, deeply divided leaves open during flowering. The cylindrical root is thick and fleshy, light color.
Double seed fruits sprout from shallow flowers in white or pink inflorescences in the mi d-summer. They are grayish brown, sometimes with a greenish dye. Each half of these fruits has a narrow crescent shape with five yellow ribs, which is the spice that everyone knows.
Useful substances
The regular consumption of Alcaravea tones and rejuvenates the body. Aromatic seeds are a healthy food complement because they contain the following components
1. ESSENTIAL OILS OF ALCARAVEA (5%): Carvona and D-Limonene determine the characteristic smell with a citrus note. 2. Fat oils (20%). 3. Flavonoids: Quercetin has a positive effect on blood vessels; Kaempferol has an ant i-inflammatory effect and gives the seeds a bitter taste. 4. Cumarines (antispasmodic action). 5. Tannins.
The seeds are nutritional: 333 kcal per 100 g, which is due to its content at 20% protein, 15% fat and 50% carbohydrates. At the same time, they are included in food diets, as one or two tenths of gram for food. The maximum daily ration is 25 grams.
Therapeutic properties and contraindications
The Alcaravea reinforces the immune system and strengthens the resistance of the organism. This natural remedy can be found not only in culinary recipes, but also as part of a homemade kit.
The alcaravea is rich in vitamins, micro and macronutrients: – Vitamin E – acts as an antioxidant and cardioprotector;- Vitamins of Group B – Responsible for energy metabolism, cell division, nervous system;- Vitamin C – Increases the organism resistance;- Iron, copper, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium, selenium – necessary for the correct human development. The Alcaravea improves digestion, eliminates stomach pains, cramps and flatulence. Essential oil helps to deal with headaches, depression. Fresh young herbs save from avitaminosis, and cumin tea stimulates the appearance of milk in infants. Often people do not like acre smell and bitter taste of seeds, so cumin medications are mixed with juices, syrups and honey. The only contraindication is allergy. Consulting a doctor on how to take cumin is also worth it in case of hyperacidity and heart problems. Plan t-based natural remedies are not an instant cure. However, with regular use, there will certainly be a result. Interesting. The alcaravea reinforces the immune system, which increases the risk of rejection of transplanted organs.
Variety of uses
The kitchen is the main field of cumin. It is used in curry mixtures, spicy fish, chucrut, cucumbers and canned tomatoes. The dark rye bread is recognized by its penetrating aroma: riga bread or borodino bread. Many dishes with Alcaravea are simple to prepare but very tasty. Dry seeds are added to food shortly before cooking them. It is easy to buy a spice bag in a store or market for little money. A few oblong grains give meat or baked products a characteristic acid bitterness.
Fragant essential oils are used in perfumery, liquor industry and soap manufacturing. They are extracted from plant material by water vapor. The remaining fat is pressed for pharmacological and technical purposes. The Alcaravea is not only useful in domestic cuisine, but also has agricultural value. The white umbrella of flowers are excellent drops of honey. The crop yields about 100 kg of honey per hectare. The oil cake left after processing the seeds is used to feed cows and horses.
Is cumin or dill?
The Alcaravea is easily recognizable, it is enough to rub with the fingers a couple of slightly curved fruits. Despite this, it is often confused with plants with which it is not even closely related. Among them are the thyme (consonant name), the anise (similar smell), the wild heal (poisonous fruit of similar appearance).
Black Comino – Homonym, but not relative
Health enthusiasts actively consume the fruit and black cumin oil. This is another false cumin relative. Cerda cumin (Calindji, Nigella), belongs to a different botanical family and differs significantly in appearance even at first sight.
To lose weight
In health diets, black cumin is the most popular grass after ginger. It eliminates excess fluid, which leads to rapid weight loss, and activates the mechanisms that regulate the rhythm of metabolic processes. The alcaravea accelerates the decomposition of nutrients and slows the accumulation of fat. Its regular use attenuates the feeling of hunger, which is especially useful for losing weight. Its spicy flavor allows to reduce the amount of salt in a dietary menu. In combination with ginger and anise, the effect is enhanced.
For pregnant women
The Alcaravea is not strictly prohibited during pregnancy, but you have to be careful for possible allergies or individual intolerances. Alcaravea tea acts against sleep and digestive disorders and favors breastfeeding. Oil helps prevent stretch marks. It is not harmful to the baby, so it is suitable for relieving the mother’s cracked nipples. It is also known that black cumin oil relieves childbirth, although this has not been officially endorsed.
For children
Massage the delicate skin of newborns with natural essential oil, but only after an allergy test. From the age of 6, children can use essential oil for inhalations, nasal drips and cough treatment. Prophylactically, black cumin oil is administered to the child in a teaspoon a day. If antibiotics or vitamin complexes have already been prescribed, it is not necessary to take it additionally.
For older people
Men and women over 50 are recommended to take black cumin oil in series to reinforce immunity and also to help in pharmacological treatment. It is scientifically demonstrated that cumin reduces blood cholesterol levels, affects insulin synthesis and increases hemoglobin. It inhibits the growth of cancer cells, although it is prohibited during chemotherapy. Its external use strengthens blood vessels and treats the inflammation of the joints.
How to grow cumin
Collecting your own harvest is always more pleasant than buying an already prepared product. Comino plants, col d-resistant and light lovers, are great in the field or in the garden. It is not worth growing this biennial in a site for its seeds, but young outbreaks will decorate salads and soups.
Of seed
The seeds are sold in specialized gardening stores. If you wish, you can take the ones you have stored in the kitchen if they are in good condition. The garden is sown in early spring, cumin does not fear frost. At home, the cumin is sown in green throughout the season of light, from February to October.
You have to soak the seeds for two days before planting them to soften the hard peel. They immerse themselves on Earth at a depth of two centimeters, with a separation of 5-7 cm. The outbreaks emerge after three weeks, even with fresh time at 5-10 ° C. The outbreaks must get rid and set up.
In the window of a window
Select fast maturation varieties, branched and with short stems for indoor plants. Germinate the seeds in a wet gauze and place them on the prepared earth, covering them with transparent film until they sprout. Its powerful root system requires a large volume; Balcony boxes and pots from 5 liters are suitable.
Bright light lover, cumin prefers southern and east windows. With the lack of light, the concentration of essential oils decreases and the aroma loses intensity. It is important to water the plantation in time, since if there is not enough humidity the cumin plants flourish and the green mass stops growing. The first leaves start when the shoots reach a height of 10-15 cm. Not all outbreaks should be cut at once or the plant will wither. Fresh twigs can be kept in the refrigerator up to 5 days and dry, in jars and fabric bags, until the next season.
In the garden
The yield of the alcaravea depends largely on the place of planting; He likes a humid climate and good light. Black or silty earth floors with shallow groundwater are adequate. The plant forms a strong rosette of roots and leaves the first year and blooms and fruit the following summer. Due to the lack of light, the fruits may not mature until the third year of cultivation.
The Alcaravea begins to harvest in July and August. The performance per hectare is approximately 1 ton. The seeds mature from one in one and detach themselves very easily, so the collection begins when 70% of the seeds have matured. If possible, you have to reap early in the morning or after the rain, when the umbrellas are still wet. The plants are cut by the root or start whole, then dry in rows and are trill. In the country house, the stems are tied in bunches and hang to dry.
