Nigella

What it is¶

Nigella seeds come from Nigella sativa, a delicate annual with finely cut leaves and pale blue or white flowers, followed by inflated seed capsules. The seeds are small, matt black and teardrop to angular in shape.

It has a confusing collection of names. In South Asia it is kalonji. English speakers often call it "black onion seed", which is simply wrong: it has nothing to do with onions, though the flavour is faintly oniony. It is also called "black cumin" and "black seed" (in Arabic habbat al-barakah, "seed of blessing"), which can be confused with true black cumin, Bunium persicum. In Russia it is charnushka. It is a close relative of the garden flower love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena.

Origins and history¶

Nigella has been used around the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia for thousands of years. Seeds are reported from several Egyptian sites, including among the contents of Tutankhamun's tomb. It is mentioned in Greek and Roman sources, and in Islamic tradition a well-known hadith praises black seed as a remedy for every illness except death, which has made it culturally important across the Muslim world.

It spread to India and Central Asia and became a standard spice there, as well as in Turkish, Persian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European baking.

Flavour and aroma¶

Raw seeds are mildly bitter and pungent. Toasted in a dry pan or heated in oil or on bread, they become nutty and savoury, with oniony and peppery notes and a herbal, faintly oregano-like quality from thymoquinone and related compounds. The flavour is gentle enough to use generously as a topping.

In the kitchen¶

• Bread. Sprinkled on naan before baking, alongside or instead of sesame seeds; on Turkish pide and çörek, Middle Eastern flatbreads and Russian and Jewish rye breads. Press seeds into the dough surface so they stick.
• Bengal. One of the five seeds in panch-phoron, used for tempering vegetables, dals and fish. Nigella is the seed most associated with Bengali cooking.
• Pickles and chutneys. North Indian mango and lime pickles, and a pinch in yogurt raitas.
• Cheese. Armenian and Syrian string cheese is studded with nigella, and it is good pressed into halloumi or a feta.
• Vegetables. Excellent with potatoes, cauliflower, squash and aubergine: fry ½ tsp seeds in oil before adding the vegetables.

For tempering, fry ½–1 tsp seeds for 10–20 seconds in hot oil, just until they crackle; they burn quickly. For topping, a heaped teaspoon covers two or three naan. See tempering-spices.

Buying and storing¶

Whole seeds keep for two years or more in an airtight jar. They are rarely ground, as the flavour dissipates fast. Check for grit and small stones, which sometimes turn up in cheap bags.

Substitutes¶

For looks and crunch, black sesame seeds. For flavour, a mix of cumin and a little dried oregano, or a pinch of celery seed. In panch phoron, a few extra fennel seeds and cumin will do, but the mix loses its character.

Pairs well with¶

cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, mustard seed, coriander seed, sesame, turmeric, chilli, potatoes, cauliflower, squash, aubergine, lentils, fish, flatbreads, yogurt, cheese.

Growing your own¶

Nigella sativa is a hardy annual and as easy as its garden cousin love-in-a-mist. Sow directly in spring in a sunny, well-drained spot; seedlings dislike being moved. Plants flower in early summer and the seed pods swell and dry by late summer. Pick them when they turn papery and brown and the seeds rattle, dry them further indoors, then shake the seeds out. Make sure to buy N. sativa seed: the ornamental N. damascena is not the culinary spice. See growing-your-own-spices.

Did you know¶

See also¶

• panch phoron
• cumin
• sesame
• fennel seed
• fenugreek
• tempering spices