Celebrating the Multicultural festivities of
December, I thought I would pick an herb or spice which is referenced in the
Bible (land of three of the Major Religions of the world) and used in many
cuisines around the entire world, as a way of gathering together all the wealth
of diversity around us - in true celebration.
Day 20
Herb: Nigella, Nigella sp. Isaiah 28:26, different translations of the Bible refer to Cumin, Black
Cumin, or Black Caraway, which of God’s instructions for sowing and
reaping. 25. Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter cummin And plant
wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its area? 26 For his God instructs and
teaches him properly. 27 For dill is not threshed with a threshing
sledge, Nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin; But dill is beaten out with a
rod, and cummin with a club.
Two plants share
the name Black Cumin, Bunium bulbocastanum and Nigella sativa.
For the purposes of this post we will discuss Nigella, aka
Love-In-A-Mist.
Nigella --Love-In-A-Mist
(also called Black Onion Seed) is an unusual and striking flower, also called
Black Onion Seed, and Black Cumin and used in East Indian foods. The seeds smell like strawberries and taste like
pepper, a most interesting spice.
Nigella grows
well in our desert gardens, preferring the cooler months, seed in a sunny spot
with good drainage. Let the flower go to
full maturity to harvest the seeds for culinary use and later re-sowing.
I have really
enjoyed growing this flower, with all of the textural contrasts it is very
pretty in the garden.
Prepare Yule Log ready to light tomorrow or Christmas Eve. To turn
night into day in the home/Emblem of the return of the Sun, and the lengthening
of the Days.
Recipes:
They're [Nigella seed]
also part of the spice mixture called panch phoran, along with fenugreek, mustard, fennel and cumin seeds, common in
Bengali dishes. Bread seems to be a
cross-cultural use for nigella seeds—aside from naan, it's also used to top
flatbreads in Turkey and
elsewhere in the Middle East, and in Eastern Europe
is sprinkled on Jewish rye bread in place of caraway seeds. – Smithsonian Mag
Epicurious suggests substituting Nigella for Sesame in baked
breads, etc.
Here are a couple of recipes from Epicurious for using
Nigella Seeds
Music:
Happy Holiday (From the movie “Holiday Inn” )
Bing Crosby
Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time
Paul McCartney
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