Spice Guide

Consistency and quality control have been a hallmark of Patak's Foods since the company was founded. The flavor of Patak's® products is heavily dependent on the quality and freshness of the herbs and spices used and as such Kirit Pathak personally supervises their selection and importation from India and around the world.

It is the grinding process that releases aromatic oils from spices and these oils create the delicious flavors of Indian cuisine. Once ground, the flavors of the volatile oils fade rapidly.

With that in mind, one of the many things that set Patak's apart from other manufacturers is that the whole spices are ground at the point of manufacture to ensure freshness of flavor is retained.

Some herbs & spices commonly used in Indian cooking:

Cumin Seed / Jeera

After coriander, cumin is the second most important spice in Indian cuisine. Despite first being cultivated in Ancient Egypt, cumin can now be found being cultivated in most hot regions. The Romans used cumin as we use pepper and Spanish explorers took it to Latin America, where it has since become a very popular spice that is ubiquitous in Southern American cuisine.

Cumin comes in two varieties: plain and black. Plain cumin seeds are oval, brownish-green in color and about 5mm long. Although they look like and are commonly mistaken for caraway, cumin seeds are longitudinally ridged and tend to be straighter. Black cumin seeds are darker and smaller than their plain counterparts.

Cumin has a very distinctive, strong and spicy aroma and a rich, earthy and warm taste with slightly bitter and pungent notes. Black cumin has a sweeter smell and a complex, mellow flavor that lies somewhere between cumin and caraway.

In Indian cuisine, cumin is an important ingredient in most curries, yellow pilau rice and certain breads. When mixed with ground coriander, it forms the basis of most curry powders and masalas. Cumin is a spice that can be used whole just as it can be used ground and often a mixture of both forms is required in several recipes. The seeds are also used in snacks and appetizers and when dry roasted, cumin is an essential flavoring in the Gujarati yoghurt-based drink known as "lassi".

Cumin is used in large quantities in all Patak's® pastes, simmer sauces and ready meals as well as in some relishes (pickles).

Did you know?

Cumin was said to keep lovers faithful and was often used in love potions.