Niger seed
Guizotia abyssinica · Seed
Top 10 pairings
Niger seed is the small, glossy-black oilseed of Guizotia abyssinica, a yellow-flowered annual of the daisy family native to the Ethiopian highlands. Mildly nutty and rich in oil, it is pressed for a pale cooking oil (Ethiopia's noog), ground into condiments and birdseed, and is one of the world's minor but distinctive edible-oil crops.
Picking a good onedrag
Glossy, oily, sweetly nuttyDull and dusty, smells of crayon
Sound and dryEveryday bestKeep it whole in a sealed jar out of the light and grind only what you need. Whole seed holds its oil for months where a paste turns in weeks.
Cup a handful and smell itFaintly nutty, quiet but clean
Look at the seed, and at the chaffBlack and dry-looking, a little dust, a few split seeds
Run a scoop through your fingersFree-running, leaving a little fine dust on the fingers
Buy it food-grade, and buy it wholeFood-grade whole seed, bagged with a packing or harvest date