An Indexed Bibliography. The Scientific Literature on Selected Herbs, and Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of the Temperate Zone. Cumin, Cuminum cyminum L., also known as Cuminum odorum Salisb. Primary cultivation of cumin is in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa with India and Iran as the largest cumin exporters. The valued portion of the plant is the dried fruit called cumin seed, which is esteemed as a condiment.
Cumin thrives on rich, well-drained sandy loam soil.
In the Middle East, cumin is grown as a winter crop, sown and harvested between April and May. Seeds are usually collected and threshed by hand, since the small, tender plants are difficult to harvest mechanically. The seeds become hard, the fruit changes color, and the vegetative material withers as the plant matures. The three major types of cumin seed on the market, Iranian, Indian, and Middle Eastern, differ in seed color, quantity of essential oil, and flavor. The odor and flavor of cumin is derived largely from the essential oil, which contains cuminaldehyde as the main constituent. Synthetic cuminaldehyde is an adulterant to cumin oil and is very difficult to detect chemically.