Cooks around the globe look to cumin to add warmth and earthy flavor to their dishes. One of the most popular spices in the world, cumin appears in a vast assortment of regional spice blends, from Mexican chili powder blends to Middle Eastern bahārāt to Indian garam masala and curry powder blends. Ground cumin comes from the dried, ground seeds of Cuminum cyminum, an herb in the parsley family. Closely related to the pungent, anise-flavored caraway, cumin is known as its bitter, spicier cousin.
