Caraway
Carum carvi · Spice
Top 10 pairings
Caraway is a crescent-shaped brown seed spice, warm and earthy with a sharp anise-peppery bite. It defines rye bread, sauerkraut and Scandinavian aquavit. It is often confused with cumin, but the two taste worlds apart.
Picking a good onedrag
Just milled, loud and oilyFaded, dusty, smells of nothing
Good whole seedEveryday bestUse it in rye bread, sauerkraut, pork or goose. For a digestive, steep a pinch of seed, not caraway oil.
Crush a few and smellAnise-sharp, but only up close
Whole fruit or groundWhole, a few broken halves
The seeds themselvesEven brown, ridges still clear
Shake the jar, pinch a fewFree-running, crushes clean